Cape Pogue Closed to OSVs to Protect Plover Chicks

Monday, August 4 2014 - 3:41pm

Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge is closed to oversand vehicles to protect nesting piping plover chicks, The Trustees of Reservations announced Monday.

The closure runs from the Dike Bridge to the Cape Pogue Gut on both the ocean and pond sides. Two plover chicks have been wandering between the outside beach to the inside trails to feed just north of the bridge, Chris Kennedy, Vineyard superintendent for the Trustees, said in an email. The chicks are expected to fledge in the next two weeks, after which the Jeep trails will be opened again, Mr. Kennedy said.

Oversand vehicles still have access to all of Leland Beach, Wasque Point and Norton Point Beach. Permits are required to drive on the beach.

The Trustees operate a 24-hour recorded beach hotline at 508-627-8390 with up-to-date information about beach closures.

Plovers are a protected species under state and federal law. The tiny migratory shorebirds make their nests in scrapes in the sand on exposed barrier beaches around the Island. The chicks are born precocious and feed themselves immediately but do not fly for a few weeks and are vulnerable to oversand vehicles.

The closure only applies to vehicles; East Beach remains open to beachgoers on foot.

Comments

I hope they get eaten.... I

mitch k edgartown

I hope they get eaten.... I hope all of them get eaten so they stop wasting money to protect them and we get our beaches back

tons of money and work go

flounderbob chilmark

tons of money and work go into making a lunch counters for hawks and ospray and other meat eating birds why--? just inforce the laws keeping 4 wheelers and cars off the dunes.if the people come to the beach the birds will find new more protected ground to thrive in.

So let's see. The place the

BillyB OB

So let's see. The place the plovers are in is called the Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge. Hmmm. Wildlife Refuge. Seems like a couple of humans posting here don't understand the concept. BTW - preservation is also the mission of the Trustees of the Reservations,and they need to abide by federal law. I think some priorities a bit screwed up by some posters.

Bought OSV permits for years.

Capt. Pete Edgartown

Bought OSV permits for years. This was a favorite place. Have refused to visit this paradise since this bird insanity. Hope the Trustees go bankrupt and learn that the birds will relocate to a safe area as nature intended.

I am GLAD they close the

Carol formerly Chilmark

I am GLAD they close the beaches to protect these chicks, and Mitch K and Capt. Pete - get over yourselves, if you want a beach to tear up, go work your tail off for 80 hours a week and make a ton of money and buy one. Otherwise, gracefully accept the periodic closure of beaches that you don't own so that endangered species can be protected - an effort that MOST of the rest of us support, as evidenced at the voting booth. Welcome to democracy. You don't always get your own way.

So, just so we're clear...you

Frothandbubble Ob

So, just so we're clear...you'd be fine contributing to the extinction of a species if it meant that you'd get to do whatever you want, whenever you want? You don't have the patience to wait two weeks to drive on this particular section of beach, even though other beaches are open for you? Seems a little rigid/selfish.

I can understand the outrage

Donald G Chappaquiddick

I can understand the outrage and frustration of Capt. Pete. However, Cape Pogue is not unique to closures in order to protect this endangered species. Every year the National Seashore, on Cape Cod, is faced with the same problem. It is not by choice, of the Trustees, but rather by mandate of Federal and State laws which carry very severe penalties of fines and incarceration if their guidelines are not followed. Part of The Trustee’s mission statement is to protect, preserve and expose families of all ages, that might not otherwise enjoy, our unspoiled beaches, dunes, nature and conservation land of which most might be hard pressed to otherwise experience. The Trustees work very hard to protect, monitor and upkeep the natural beauty of their properties so that every one of all ages can and have access to them. The alternative might be an amusement park or housing complex, actually planned for Cape Pogue in the 1890,s, and to let this special place go to developers and people with enough money to use it for their own greed and gratification. I think a special place like this where fisherman and people of all ages can enjoy, much outweighs the eventual loss of something that cannot be replaced once left to deteriorate or left to be developed. As residents we should all be proud to have and share this islands natural beauty and open space. Patience and a small inconvenience is a small price to pay for something we can never get back again.

Of Course post a cute picture

VeryAnnoyed Vineyard Haven

Of Course post a cute picture of the chick so the public will be (oooooo so cute) Maybe we could make a Pixtar movie of Finding Plovie leaving the nest while avoiding ospreys, skunks, seagulls and the dreaded villain of the movie --- Plover Rover the man eating hummer that eats sand dunes and destroys the world but here comes Plovie the Hero whose tweeting call saves the day!!--- Coming to a theater near you Summer of 2014!

Donald G has it right.The

Jay West Tisbury

Donald G has it right.The Trustees are obligated by law to protect federally listed species - it's a condition of accepting responsibility for the property. If you like to fish for fun and need a vehicle to do it, consider yourself lucky if TTOR has the resources to allow ORV access at all and accept responsibility for monitoring all the traffic. Remember, if something bad happens, it's on them. So ask yourself do you really want the feds having to step in and nix vehicles altogether. Where does Flounderbob imagine these birds will go if they're not protected in the few places they remain? 95% of our beaches are already uninhabitable to wildlife thanks to shoreline development and ORVs. Who's being unreasonable? As for Capt. Pete and Mitch K., just because you don't care about or understand something doesn't mean you have a right to destroy it permanently. Smile.

It's called Cape Pogue

Lee Edgartown

It's called Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge for a reason. Get your head out of the sand and take a look at the bigger picture. We've messed up this fragile earth enough, I think it's a small price to pay (literally and figuratively) to stop driving on the beach for a bit. Go find a different place to sun yourself and mull over these first world problems, because it's such a travesty that we can't drive our gas-guzzling SUVs on the beach for a bit, isn't it?!?!

I believe this has been in

Brenda OB

I believe this has been in effect for quite some time now.
Don't buy the stickers.
OR buy them and deal with the rules.
Humans have destroyed our clean air, running streams etc.
Let's save something for our grandchildren.

Ok- shut us out --but then

Chappy Joe candidate for Mayor of Chappaquiddick Chappaquiddick

Ok- shut us out --but then reduce the fee

Oh, you want our money without giving any value in return.

Opps, me thinks you were educated in the same colleges that trained most of the member related of the current Federal administration

It was once said "taxation without representation" -- I recommend you study your American
history and see the consequences of such a policy.

Chappy Joe

Chappy Joe -- good luck with