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June 8, 2007

Piping plovers cutting revenue at 2 Cape beaches

ORLEANS, Mass. -- Two Cape Cod beaches have been declared off limits to four-wheel drive vehicles after federally protected piping plover nests were discovered.

Nauset Beach in Orleans, which is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and Sandy Neck Park in Barnstable could be off limits to vehicles into July when the chicks learn to fly, meaning a loss of revenue for the towns and area businesses.

Piping plovers on R.I. beaches, too

But many people don't realize that the beaches are still open to foot traffic, said Cindy Suonpera of the Village Farm Market near Nauset Beach. Last year, beaches in Orleans were closed to vehicles for 32 days. "That took our 10-week season and cut it in half," she said.

Plover eggs hatch after roughly 25 days and chicks can fly in 25 to 35 days.

Twelve pairs of plovers are nesting on Nauset Spit, forcing the closure of nearly three-quarters of the two-mile long beach. On North Beach, the first plover nest is scheduled to hatch June 13, Parks and Beach Superintendent Paul Fulcher said, and the last two pairs are due July 3.

At Sandy Neck in Barnstable, the season's first chicks hatched Sunday, closing the entire 6.5-mile beach to vehicles.

"Our hands are tied," Sandy Neck Park manager Nina Coleman said. "In the worst-case scenario, the beach will be closed the entire month of June."

Orleans plans to spend more money advertising that the beaches are still open to foot traffic. Selectmen will also allow people with oversand beach stickers to park for free at Nauset Beach.

The town's sales of oversand beach stickers are down 16 percent this year, when compared with the same time last year, Fulcher said. Sales to nonresidents, are down 33 percent, from 1,110 stickers to 741, he said.

-- Associated Press

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 9:03 AM | Permalink

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