Third graders participate in a snowy plover educational program at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Photo courtesy Jessica Griffiths, CEMML. BY TIM SCHOMMER
On the coast of California, time spent at the beach is a way of life for many residents — and not all of them are human. The state’s beaches are also home to many different forms of wildlife, including the western snowy plover, a small migratory shorebird listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Now, a partnership between a military base and Colorado State University’s Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands is helping to protect the plover.
Between March and September, the snowy plover nests in flat, sandy areas on beaches from Washington state to Baja California, including at Surf, Wall, and Minuteman beaches managed by Vandenberg Space Force Base. Vandenberg, located 150 miles north of Los Angeles, offers recreation at Wall and Minuteman beaches for the base community, while Surf beach is open to the general public to enjoy.
During nesting season, the snowy plover lays its eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand. Both eggs and hatchlings are tan in color, mottled with darker markings, and blend in with the surrounding environment. While this camouflage helps protect them from predators, it also makes it difficult for humans to spot and avoid them or even realize they are in the vicinity.
Due to the snowy plover’s nesting habits and its status as a threatened species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires Vandenberg to impose beach access restrictions during nesting season to protect nests, eggs, and young from inadvertent trampling. However, recreationists both on-base and off sometimes misunderstand the reason for the restrictions and see them only as an inconvenience.
To spread awareness about this rare and beautiful shorebird and the importance of beach restrictions for its survival, Vandenberg and CEMML began providing educational programs at local elementary schools in 2020. The programs take place between October and February, before the nesting season and beach restrictions begin in March. The program, now in its fifth year, follows a three-lesson curriculum and is currently offered in three schools a year. Over 600 students have participated in the program since its inception, with over 220 students reached in the 2023-24 school year.
The first lesson is called “Meet Snowy,” where students learn how the birds live and what they look like. The second lesson is about the bird’s habitat and diet. The third and final lesson is about predators and prey, human impacts, and how people can help the species. Each lesson is accompanied by a snowy-plover-themed craft or game. After the classroom instruction, the children take a field trip to the beach to play games, do activities, and see where the birds will nest. If they’re lucky, they might even spot some snowy plovers.
“What I really love about this program,” said Jessica Griffiths, the program lead and a wildlife biologist with CEMML, “is that it’s really fun to see how the kids absorb all the information about things like where the snowy plover nests, where it looks for food, what are its predators, and they put all of the pieces together right away and they actually come up with management solutions on their own.”
Volunteers from both the base and the local community help present the lessons and lead the field trip activities. Vandenberg and CEMML hope to train more staff and volunteers and expand the program to additional schools.
“Kids are just such a great conduit,” said Griffiths. “They understand the importance of sharing the beaches with the snowy plover and can tell their friends and their parents, and help increase understanding within the community about why the beach restrictions are necessary.”