Piping plovers are…

Piping plovers are endangered shorebirds that rely on protected beaches to nest and raise their young.

According to Birds Canada, Wasaga Beach is the best piping plover habitat remaining in Ontario. They state that: "One of the most important nesting sites for the endangered Piping Plover in Ontario is Wasaga Beach, on the shores of Georgian Bay. The critical natural beach habitat at Wasaga has produced half of the province’s Piping Plover fledglings since 2007."

"Piping Plovers returned to breed on the shores of Ontario’s Great Lakes in 2007 after a 30-year absence, thanks largely to major conservation efforts in the United States. It was a celebratory moment– a sign that this struggling endangered species was starting to recover.

Habitats like the ones Piping Plovers nest at in Wasaga Beach are increasingly rare. Piping Plovers make their homes on wide sandy beaches with a mix of vegetation, pebbles, driftwood and dunes.

When these natural beaches are mismanaged, it leaves Piping Plovers without a place to raise their young, and can take decades and millions of dollars to properly restore.

Under the management and protection of Ontario Parks, Wasaga Beach has hosted 57 nests and successfully raised 87 fledglings. It is the most productive and valuable nesting habitat in the province, and one of few accessible and reliable sites for visitors to see Piping Plovers in Ontario. Beach goers have an opportunity to see an endangered bird, and birding tourists travel from far and wide to experience the joy of adding Piping Plovers to their “life-list”, and watching them raise their young on the beach. "

If 60% of beachfront land is transferred from Ontario Parks to the Town of Wasaga, piping plover habitat will be left with no legal protections, opening the door to development that could destroy vital habitats. Tourism and the endandgered piping plovers can co-exist, but only if appropriate, strong restrictions are put in place that are developed by experts and ensure the continued success of the plovers. If this does not happen, it begs the question of what type of tourist Wasaga Beach is trying to attract. Surely a birder spends just as much money on accommodations and food as a regular beachgoer.