Published 4/8/26 Protecting western snowy plovers starts with a simple question: What is the leading cause of plover nest failure, and how can we minimize it? This question extends to many of the other endangered species in threatened coastal ecosystems. The video below illustrates our challenge. We use trail cameras to help document nest outcomes, and this camera was pointed at a snowy plover nest placed in a flat sandy area amongst rocks and driftwood, a common nesting strategy for...

See what our biologists and volunteers are discovering in the field—and how you can help protect plovers and terns.

See what our biologists and volunteers are discovering in the field—and how you can help protect plovers and terns.