After a summer of tension over beach closures to vehicles to protect nesting shorebirds, Vineyard fishermen weighed in with concerns.

Fderal and state agencies announced a management plan to allow communities to reopen beaches that would otherwise be closed to vehicles during spring plover nesting season.

With piping plovers enjoying a major comeback in the state, new regulations may allow communities to reclaim beaches that would otherwise be closed to protect the nests and chicks in the spring.

Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge has been closed to vehicle traffic to protect newly-hatched piping plover chicks.

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

Cats, both feral and domestic, pose a threat to the Island’s fragile piping plover population, biologists say. But an effort to humanely trap the cats has raised concern among members of an Island group that finds homes for unwanted cats.