The Point’s ocean beach will reopen Sept. 1 while the bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will reopen The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, including a stretch of ocean beach and dunes, and a half-mile along the bay shoreline on Friday, Sept. 1. The bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.

The area to reopen includes a stretch of ocean beach and dunes that was previously closed on March 1. Since 1993, The Point has closed annually each March for the benefit of threatened and endangered beach-nesters and migratory shorebirds, including red knot, piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other species.

The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 to implement a management plan to increase beach-nester and migratory shorebird populations. 

For more information, contact Cape Henlopen State Park at 302-645-8983, or stop by the park office.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov

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Piping plovers – a federally-listed threatened species and state-listed endangered species – have made a new nest at Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park, which will result in temporary closure of a portion of the beach for the nesting plovers’ protection. Photo by Shelagh Lynch

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today announced that the first piping plover nest discovered at Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park since 2016 will result in the temporary closure of 800 feet of beach for protection of the new nest and any piping plover chicks that may hatch and fledge from it. The piping plover is listed as a state-endangered species in Delaware by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife in addition to its threatened status listing on the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) under the protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

During the closure, which goes into effect Monday, June 26, DNREC will install fencing around the nest with the possibility of extending fence footage to accommodate movement by the piping plover parents and potential chicks within Cape Henlopen State Park. Though the first such closure for protection of piping plovers at Gordons Pond in seven years, the species has nested there on a number of occasions since they were ESA-listed in 1986. The protective fencing will extend to the high water mark on a portion of Cape Henlopen’s ocean beach while symbolic fencing – cautionary signage on fence posts tied off by twine – will be another deterrent at Gordons Pond to entering the nesting area in the dune, which is prohibited at all times.

Another stretch of beach at Cape Henlopen, The Point, is currently closed through Sept. 1 (Oct. 1 for The Point’s bayside beach), as it has been annually since 1993 for the benefit of threatened and endangered beach-nesting and migratory shorebird species to include red knots, piping plovers, American oystercatchers and least terns. The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 on a management plan to help grow shorebird populations in Delaware – with USFWS oversight for protective measures on the shorebirds’ behalf.

During the protective period, drive-on surf fishing reservations for weekends and holidays will continue to be taken by the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, but surf fishing access will be slightly limited due to the closed beach area’s proximity to the newly-discovered piping plover nest. Drive-on surf fishing access will be permitted from Herring Point and Gordons Pond; however, anglers will not be able to access Gordons Pond from the Herring Point access, or vice versa. Driving through the closed piping plover area is prohibited during this time and could result in fines from Delaware Natural Resources Police Park Rangers or USFWS, or both, should the nest or the piping plovers be adversely impacted. Closure restrictions are to be enforced as long as the nest remains active, which, by USFWS calculations, could run well into August.

Since it was launched earlier this spring, the pilot surf fishing program’s peak daily reservation sales portal has combined Herring Point and Gordons Pond as a single reservable location. To accommodate restrictions on surf fishing vehicles during the temporary closure, the sales portal has been updated to offer separate reservation options for drive-on access to either Herring Point or Gordons Pond. Runners and other recreationalists are also prohibited from entering the restricted piping plover protection area during the closure at Cape Henlopen.

For more information about piping plovers and DNREC volunteer opportunities for monitoring the beach-nesting species, contact DNREC Avian Conservation Program Manager Sam Robinson at 302-735-8667, or email Samantha.Robinson@delaware.gov. For more information about surf fishing in Delaware, including surf fishing reservation availability and current beach accessibility at Delaware State Parks’ drive-on beaches, visit destateparks.com/SurfTagSales.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Piping plovers – a federally-listed threatened species and state-listed endangered species – experienced modest success in producing fledglings such as the chick shown above at Cape Henlopen State Park with a parent plover. Photo by Shelagh Lynch

Beach-nesting piping plovers – a federally-listed threatened species and a Delaware state-listed endangered species – experienced modest nesting success in Delaware during 2022, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

Seven pairs of piping plovers were recorded nesting at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park and 17 additional nesting pairs were documented at Fowler Beach on Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, making for a total of 24 nesting pairs – the same number recorded in 2021. Piping plovers produced more fledglings in 2022 than in 2021, successfully raising 34 chicks to their flying age (25 days old). Nesting occurred later than normal, and nest and chick loss were high following several spring storms and higher-than-average predation at Fowler Beach.

Delaware documented state-record piping plover nest productivity from 2018 through 2020, but productivity was poor in 2021. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established a goal of 1.5 fledglings per nesting pair in 1996 as part of the piping plover recovery plan, and Delaware exceeded that goal from 2018 through 2020. In 2022, DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife recorded 34 fledglings, for a productivity rate of 1.4 fledglings per nesting pair that was substantially higher than the 0.8 fledglings per nesting pair in 2021.

Delaware’s piping plover recovery efforts involve partnerships between DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services. Partners are working together to better understand the drivers of population change and behavior, such as a new study that investigates piping plover chick and fledgling movement. Trained biologists fit each plover with a unique combination of plastic leg bands allowing individual birds to be identified using a spotting scope or binoculars. More information about piping plovers is available at de.gov/pipingplovers.

In other 2022 beach-nesting bird species updates, two pairs of American oystercatchers nested at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park. Although this marked the first time in five years that two American oystercatcher nests successfully hatched at Cape Henlopen State Park, the chicks did not fledge due to suspected nest and chick loss from predation. Least tern counts continued to trend lower than prior years, with the only documented nest found at Cape Henlopen State Park failing to hatch.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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LEWES – Volunteers who want to help protect Delaware’s endangered piping plovers and other beachnesting birds are invited to join DNREC’s monitoring team and attend a training session held by the Division of Fish & Wildlife from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 13, at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Biden Environmental Training Center, at 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes.

The training session will begin with a slideshow followed by a discussion on the monitoring program and how volunteers can help to ensure that beachnesting shorebirds are not disturbed while rearing their chicks.

Weather permitting, the group will finish the session by venturing out to the Point at Cape Henlopen to look for piping plovers and other shorebirds likely to be feeding on the tidal flats. Birding scopes and binoculars will be available for use, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own optics if they have them.

“Volunteers are critical to our protection efforts. When stationed at the boundaries of the nesting areas, volunteers can help explain facts to those passing by about the breeding birds and the importance of keeping closed areas free of human disturbance,” said Joe Rogerson, program manager for Species Conservation and Research, Division of Fish & Wildlife. “Without volunteers to supplement the coverage our staff provides, many people might never have the chance to better understand how humans can make a difference in the breeding success of beachnesting birds.”

Preregistration for the training is encouraged, but attendees also will be accepted at the door. Park entrance fees will be waived for volunteers attending the training by notifying the fee booth attendant. For more information on the training, beachnesting birds or monitoring efforts, please contact Kevin Bronson at 302-222-6078 or kevin.bronson@delaware.gov.

The piping plover was listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1986, with the Division of Fish & Wildlife responsible for its protection in Delaware. Under a binding agreement and species management plan with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the federal agency with oversight of this ESA-protected species, piping plover nesting areas at Cape Henlopen State Park are closed annually to the public to protect the shorebirds during their nesting season from March into September. The closure, which includes the Point and smaller areas around Gordon’s Pond, protects nests and young birds from vehicle and pedestrian traffic in habitats from the dunes to the ocean needed for nesting and feeding, successfully increasing the number of piping plover nesting pairs from a low of two pairs to a high of 10 pairs.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

LEWES – The first piping plover nest of the season at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Gordons Pond has been discovered by DNREC beach-nesting bird monitors Kevin Bronson and Taylor Klecan, according to their supervisor, Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist Matthew Bailey with DNREC’s Species Conservation and Research Program.

“The news is especially exciting this year because the storms that hit the beaches over the winter carved out lots of new plover habitat at Gordons Pond,” Bailey said. “This may lead to greater nesting success both this year and in coming years.”

To minimize disturbances to the tiny endangered shorebirds, a half-mile stretch of beach between the Observation Towers and the Herring Point dune crossover will be closed to the public beginning Monday, June 13 – with signs, twine and PVC stakes to mark the area.

“Closing off plover nesting areas is an established protocol every year at Cape Henlopen, and this closing is in the typical area that beachgoers are accustomed to,” said Bailey, who serves as coordinator of the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Piping Plover Protection Program. “The area will remain closed until the last of our plover chicks are fledged, usually in late August.”

For more information on piping plovers and DNREC volunteer opportunities for monitoring them, please contact Matt Bailey, Division of Fish & Wildlife, at 302-382-4151 or email matthew.bailey@delaware.gov.

About the piping plover
The piping plover was listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1986, and the Division of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for its protection in Delaware. Under a binding agreement and species management plan that DNREC made in 1990 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) – the federal agency with oversight of this ESA-protected species – piping plover nesting areas at Cape Henlopen State Park are closed annually to the public to protect the shorebirds from disturbance during their nesting season from March into September. The closure, which includes the Point and smaller areas around Gordons Pond and with both feeding habitat and nesting areas protected, has been successful, increasing the number of piping plover nesting pairs from a low of two pairs to a high of nine pairs. Piping plovers feed on small invertebrates that inhabit the intertidal zone near their nesting territories. Chicks are not fed by their parents, but rather are led to the shoreline to forage while the adults keep watch for potential threats. Allowing pedestrian traffic in the intertidal zone adjoining nesting areas would disturb the vital link between nesting and foraging habitat, and risks adverse stress or mortality to the chicks.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson or Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 215