When I read that the Town of…

When I read that the Town of Wasaga Beach planned to purchase and develop the Piping Plover beach at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, I could not believe it. I see no problem with sale of the other beach sections, but the section with the Piping Plover nests is one of only a few (2 or 3) known nests in Ontario. The Piping Plover is an Endangered species in Canada and is not doing well throughout most of its range outside of Canada because of exactly what the Town of Wasaga Beach plans to do - destroy dune habitat and create manicured sand beaches.

There are many reasons this Proposal is a terrible idea, besides simply the almost cartoon villain scenario of the Town of Wasaga Beach choosing to exterminate a nest site of arguably Ontario's most adorable bird species. Picture a pompom or little ball of fluff and then give it legs, a cute tiny beak, and some attractive striping. That is the Piping Plover. In fact, these birds are so adorable and charismatic that birdwatchers flock to Wasaga Beach every year to watch them nest. I have brought friends and family members to Wasaga Beach to see the Piping Plovers and have observed many people photographing them or enjoying watching them on the beach. They require relatively little area - just a tiny piece of nice natural dune habitat in what is already a lot of developed beach. And there are vanishingly few areas left in Ontario where they can safely nest.

This proposal is meant to support the Town of Wasaga Beach's tourism industry. Quite frankly, removing one of their primary attractions, the Piping Plovers, is a terrible idea for tourism. Myself and the hundreds of other birdwatchers that have made the pilgrimage to Wasaga Beach to see the Piping Plovers have absolutely zero interest in visiting the beach or the town itself without these birds there. My friends and I have happily subsidized the town while we have passed through after viewing the plovers. But will people really have renewed interest in visiting Wasaga Beach if they know that it has been "enhanced" by removing Ontario's most adorable and charismatic birds? Every Ontario birdwatcher knows about Wasaga Beach Piping Plovers and will not forget if Town of Wasaga Beach goes ahead with this.

Besides the obvious ecological ramifications (i.e., removal of an adorable beachfront species), destroying the natural dune habitat in favor of more boring sand is a bad idea for long-term infrastructure. The plant communities and overall structure of dunes help to stabilize the beaches. Maintaining natural dunes allows a diversity of animals and plants to survive, and helps maintain the overall health of the lakeshore. Developing the area will destabilize the beach and could actually result in long-term degradation and loss of infrastructure. Developing the dunes for a perceived short-term benefit is foolish. There is already more than enough beach space at Wasaga Beach for tourists to enjoy. Adding the tiny piece of natural dune used by the plovers will not have any measurable effect on the Town's economy, but will have a tremendous effect on the Piping Plovers. Personally, I think that if the Town of Wasaga Beach really wants to boost their tourism appeal, they should *use* the Piping Plovers. They should really lean into having the cutest Ontario bird there. Advertise it, have stickers, merchandise, maybe "The Piping Plover Pub". I for one would definitely purchase plover merchandise or visit an establishment named after them, and I strongly suspect a lot of other people would, too.

To summarize, I believe this proposal will weaken, not strengthen, the Town of Wasaga Beach's tourism industry. It is a bad idea because it will (1) cause serious negative effects for an Endangered species, (2) harm or endanger Ontario's cutest bird species, (3) remove stabilizing vegetation and a diverse natural dune community, resulting in long-term beach degradation and loss of infrastructure, (4) eliminate visitation by birdwatchers, many of whom come annually to watch the Piping Plovers and gladly subsidize the town during their visit, and (5) removes an untapped tourism opportunity - using the cuteness of the plovers to attract more visitors.

I am a conservation biologist and you can bet that I will be teaching all of my students about this issue. I sincerely hope that the Ontario Government and the Town of Wasaga Beach will come to their senses and leave the Piping Plovers and their tiny natural dune area under the conservation management of Ontario Parks.