Mention piping plovers in some circles around here and people might give you the bird.
For two decades, the town has been compelled by the state to monitor vehicle access to the outer stretch of Plymouth’s Long Beach because plovers are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The three-mile barrier strip is one of their preferred nesting areas in the region. The birds build their nests in the sand, often close to Ryder Way, the route leading to the Crossover. It’s where the road shifts from following along the harbor side to fronting Cape Cod Bay.
The fragility of the hatching process and the chicks’ early lives has often meant banning vehicle access to the Point – the northernmost section of Long Beach. It’s a contentious issue, annually frustrating people who purchase four-wheel-drive stickers in hopes of enjoying the spectacular setting.
Officials and environmentalists have long struggled to strike a balance between human access to the far reaches of the beach and ensuring the birds’ survival. Tensions ramp up every spring when the first eggs hatch. You may have seen a few “piping plovers taste like chicken” bumper stickers over the years.
The danger to the birds, however, is real. Chicks can’t fly for a month or more, putting them at risk of being snatched by predators such as foxes and sea gulls or being accidentally run over by a driver. The nests – and the chicks themselves – blend into the landscape, so it’s easy to disturb or kill them.
This year, there were 12 piping plover nests and three colonies of least terns along Ryder Way, according to the town’s Energy & Environment Dept. Despite that, it said, the town was able to keep the road “accessible for Long Beach 4×4 permit holders” all season. It attributed that to participation in the Massachusetts Habitat Conservation Plan for Piping Plovers and a Conservation and Management Permit, “which allows some flexibility for vehicle access along the road when Piping Plover chicks are present.”
The Crossover has remained closed since the end of June, but “restrictions will start to be lifted” on Friday, Aug. 14, the town said Thursday, allowing “approximately 65 vehicles” to pass through to the Point.
Chiltonville resident Olivia Cosgrove said she decided venting on Facebook about the closings won’t result in a meaningful compromise, so she recently started a Change.org petition. Addressed to the Select Board, it calls for “a review of the current beach driving restrictions at Long Beach to ensure they provide the greatest possible residential access while continuing to comply with all applicable state and federal wildlife protection laws.”
As of Thursday afternoon, she had collected more than 1,500 signatures.
The petition asks the town to:
- Review the current beach management plan to determine whether closures are limited to the minimum area and duration necessary to protect nesting birds.
- Explore modifications to driving corridors or management practices that could safely increase vehicle access.
- Reopen sections of the beach as quickly as legally possible once nesting or fledging periods have ended.
- Increase transparency by providing residents with regular updates explaining why closures remain in place, the status of nesting activity, and the anticipated timeline for reopening.
- Hold a public forum each year to gather resident feedback and discuss ways to improve beach access while meeting conservation requirements.
Cosgrove, who is married and has two daughters, grew up in Plymouth.
“Every year since I was probably 10, we just enjoyed going to the beach as a family and I want to have my girls have the same experience,” she said in a phone interview.
“I wish that we could go out as far as we used to go while still being able to protect the birds,” she said. “I love animals. But I do think that we could come up with an alternative to what we’re dealing with today as it relates to restrictions and regulations, so that we can enjoy our beach.”
Cosgrove is a realist. She knows the Select Board and Town Hall don’t have a lot of leverage.
“I might have to go to the state, which is scary,” she said. “But it’s just something that I’ve always felt passionate about, and I think it’s time to at least explore and do something about it, because I feel like all I do is just complain about it. We need to start somewhere.”
The Select Board plans to “have a public presentation on this issue” in late September, Town Manager Derek Brindisi said in an email. He and other officials likely expect a large turnout when that meeting takes place.
“While the Town understands that the limitation of vehicle access to recreational areas are frustrating,” the Energy & Environment Dept. wrote in a release, “the Town has exhausted all means and avenues to provide as much access as possible to Plymouth Long Beach while ensuring the Town is complying with local, state and federal law. Overall, there were 61 breeding pairs of piping plovers on Plymouth Long Beach which presents many challenges.”
And even as Crossover the opens, don’t expect unfettered access.
“Above average or extreme high tides will affect vehicle access over the Crossover through” that day, according to an Aug. 12 post on the town’s website. It said the natural resources officer “will determine the timing and extent of tide restrictions and/or closures depending on tide height, beach slope and weather conditions. Vehicles may need to leave the Crossover area. Typically, tide closures last for approximately 1½ hours before and after the high tide.”
You can visit the Long Beach information page for updates.
Meantime, Cosgrove hopes her petition will help turn the tide when it comes to people and birds co-existing.
“I don’t want to see any birds being hurt, but it’s just not fair,” she said. “I respect the environmentalists. I understand that they have a job to do, too. But, you know, it’s simple – I just want to go to the beach.”
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.