Piping plover population making a comeback on Ontario's shores

Along the sandy beaches of Ontario’s Great Lakes, a small and cute migratory shorebird is slowly making a comeback after a decades-long absence.

The endangered piping plover virtually disappeared from Ontario’s shores in the 1970s as loss of beach habitat and human-related disturbance reduced the vulnerable species’ numbers to just a handful of breeding pairs.

Then, in 2007, after a 30-year absence, a pair of piping plovers arrived and bred on Lake Huron’s shore. Since then, their numbers have been slowly increasing thanks to the tireless work of volunteers, biologists and local stewardship groups. The birds are now nesting in larger numbers and on more beaches each year.

​But more needs to be done to ensure these delicate little birds don’t slip back to the brink of extinction in this province. To that end, OPG is supporting a new “Bring Back the Wild” campaign by Earth Rangers that will raise funds and awareness to help protect the piping plover.

Since 2012, OPG has been a proud supporter of Earth Rangers, whose presenters visit schools across the province to educate kids on issues of biodiversity and the environment. The partnership has played a critical role in inspiring more than 50,000 children to protect at-risk species across Ontario by raising over half a million dollars. By engaging the next generation in learning about and supporting conservation, OPG and Earth Rangers hope to contribute to species recovery in Ontario over the long-term.

For this latest campaign, funds raised by kids and their families will help Bird Studies Canada (BSC), a leading science-based bird conservation organization, to restore the piping plover’s numbers and its coastal beach habitat across Ontario.