Shifting Lots: More Than Just a Pretty Place

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

Read Time: 4 min

Karen Grey and Kathy Parsons worked together for seventeen years, as members of the senior management team at Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Karen is now the executive director at Wildlands Trust and Kathy is the director of the Coastal Waterbird Program at the Massachusetts Audubon Society. In the second chapter of each of their careers, the two have reunited in a collaboration that brings together land conservation and bird protection at Wildlands’ Shifting Lots Preserve and the adjacent Ellisville Harbor State Park, in Plymouth. The project is an example of one of the ways that Wildlands manages conserved land for wildlife.

Wildlands Trust’s director of stewardship, Erik Boyer, facilitates a partnership with the Friends of Ellisville Marsh to support Mass Audubon’s annual protection of shorebirds from April through August. For the last fifteen years, staff and volunteers have worked together to monitor and protect Piping Plovers and Least Terns that nest along the shore at these Plymouth beaches.

Declining populations of both birds in the mid-1980s prompted efforts to protect nesting and foraging areas in the state. At the Coastal Waterbird Program's inception, there were 135 pairs of nesting Piping Plovers in Massachusetts, compared to 956 pairs in 2021! These Massachusetts birds currently account for more than half of the entire Atlantic Coast population of the species. According to program staff members, “Coastal birds face many challenges along our busy coastline as they lay their eggs on the sand and raise their young amidst the beach-going public.” It’s not possible for shorebird monitors from one organization alone to do the ongoing work of protecting the birds, so local collaborations like this one are essential.

The Coastal Waterbird Program’s 2021 field summary for Shifting Lots Preserve, issued in December, indicates that our Plymouth partnership is contributing to the program’s impressive achievements. This year’s team installed and maintained protective fencing, posted educational signage throughout the area, and provided direct education to visitors about the threatened birds. And, while the number of nesting Piping Plovers remained consistent relative to the previous year (3 pairs), there were 8 fledglings this summer – the greatest number seen at Shifting Lots in the last fifteen years! Additionally, 12 pairs of nesting Least Terns and an unknown number of fledglings were also protected.

While there’s no question that this program site has demonstrated notable success, it has not been without some challenges. The 2021 field summary reported vandalism to the temporary protective fencing that was installed last spring, which required frequent repairs. Bike tracks were also observed near the nesting sites on several occasions. But perhaps the greatest challenge for program volunteers, and the shorebirds they protect, was predator harassment –most often from dogs.

Both Shifting Lots Preserve and Ellisville Harbor State Park prohibit dogs on the beach throughout the nesting season each year, though leashed dogs are allowed on the wooded trails of the State Park year-round. But pet owners don’t always adhere to the posted warnings, and program volunteers observed unleashed dogs on the beaches on several occasions. Owners often mistakenly believe that close supervision of their pets is sufficient to ensure the birds’ safety. However, the stress of nearby animal activity is enough to disrupt the birds’ habitat and endanger young fledglings.

Looking ahead to next year, the team believes that better signage and additional enforcement of policies curtailing dog activity on the beaches may be helpful for the continued success of this important shorebird nesting habitat. Wildlands Trust is proud of the achievements of this collaborative effort to protect local wildlife, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the Friends of Ellisville Marsh and Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program to ensure that Shifting Lots continues to be much more than just a pretty place to visit!