KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — In a world where encouraging stories about conservation and the environment seem all too rare, it’s heartening to hear what has happened in the last 44 years to piping plovers in Maine.

In 1981, according to Maine Audubon coastal bird biologist Sophie Garland, the state had 10 pairs of plovers nesting on its beaches. This year, there are 174 pairs.

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That dramatic increase did not occur by accident or happenstance. Back in 1981 , the Maine Audubon began monitoring, counting, and working to protect plovers as part of its Coastal Birds Project. The mission goes on today on 26 beaches stretching from York County to Reid State Park in Georgetown.

Garland and another Audubon coastal bird biologist, Katie Burns, spend much of the summer walking those beaches, binoculars in hand, scanning for plovers, which are an endangered species. To the untrained eye, the birds can be difficult to spot because their feathers blend in so well with the sand as they nest.

While the locations vary, a key part of the job does not. 

“Know where the nests are,” Garland said as she stood on Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport. “Know where the pairs are that are nesting, and know where their chicks are.”

The other part of the job is educating the public. Garland and Burns spend a lot of time talking to visitors on the beach, explaining why the tiny plovers are so vulnerable.

People who don’t know better can step on nests, get too close and stress plovers, or let dogs threaten the birds by running unleashed. Management areas have been set up and educational signs posted on parts of the beach where the birds nest.

“When you see [a management area marked with] stake and twine, don’t sit right up against it,” Burns said. “Give it plenty of space—100 feet, if you can.”

If you’re planning to toss a frisbee or build sand castles, sharing the space is particularly important. 

“If you’re playing catch on the beach, do it towards the shore away from the management area so you don’t disturb chicks or the nest,” she added. “Basically, just give the birds as much space as you can.”

The education efforts have clearly paid off, as the growing numbers of plovers in Maine demonstrate. After talking with some folks on the beach who were delighted to receive one her “Plover Lover” stickers, Burns offered a final thought to them: “Thank you for caring about the birds.”