The first piping plover chick of the season hatched off Ryder Road on Plymouth Long Beach early Friday morning. As a result, vehicles will not be allowed beyond the Day Parking area, located about two-thirds of the way between the main beach lot and the Crossover, until the chicks have learned to fly. That usually takes about 35 days, according to town Environmental Technician Kerin McCall.
Piping plovers are a threatened species protected by state and federal law. They return to breed on Plymouth Long Beach each summer, and the town is legally obligated to protect the birds and their habitat.
Two of four eggs in a nest off Ryder Road, which traverses the spine of Long Beach, had hatched by mid-morning Friday, and McCall and staff were out on the beach anticipating the other two to hatch soon.
“Within hours they’re running around,” McCall said, noting one of the hatchlings was already busily exploring the beach. Plover chicks are tiny, and tire ruts and other changes in terrain can prove daunting as they venture to and from the shoreline. They are well camouflaged in their sandy environment and are so small they are difficult to see, and they are definitely no match in speed for a 4X4 rolling through their habitat.
That’s why vehicles will not be allowed to travel on Ryder Road beyond the Day Parking lot until the chicks can fly – probably around the end of July or early August, according to McCall. If they prove to be quick learners and fledge sooner than expected, the restriction may be lifted earlier.
“We’ll keep an eye on them and provide as much access as we can while complying with the law,” McCall said.
In the meantime, the day lot can accommodate 30 to 40 vehicles, she explained, and beachgoers with 4X4 Long Beach permits can also park all along Ryder Road from the main lot to the day lot. Regulations limit the number of vehicles on Long Beach to 225 anyway, she said, adding she believes that with the roadside spaces and the day lot, they’ll still be able to accommodate that number. Beachgoers will, however, have to walk the rest of the way from their vehicle to their favored spot on the beachfront.
McCall also urges the public to be careful to stay out of protected areas, even on foot. And for a while it may require a bit more attention to determine where those areas are. This week’s heavy storms washed down most of the post and twine fencing that defines those protected and fragile areas. McCall and the beach staff were already busy replacing that fencing Friday. But they ask beachgoers to be particularly careful to look for the yellow warning signs and stay out of the dunes and vegetative areas on the beach. And, as always, keep all dogs on a short leash, under control and away from protected areas. Three citations have already been written for unleashed dogs, according to McCall, and many more warnings have been given. Allowing dogs on the beach at all depends on the community’s compliance with the leash requirement, which is issued by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. If the public does not comply, the state could ban dogs from Long Beach entirely, McCall noted.
The recent storms washed away more than just fencing, however.
Those losses may actually extend the vehicle restrictions on the beach. It’s early enough in the season, she explained, that some pairs of birds will build new nests and breed again. That, of course, will result in more chicks hatching later on and another wait until they learn to fly. Though no one can promise these pairs won’t move on to different locations on the beach, they’re likely to re-nest within the territory they’ve already staked out. If that holds true, McCall said, those chicks are not likely to impact access to Ryder Road but will still limit vehicle traffic on the beachfront.
As in past years, Long Beach will close at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4. All areas north of the main parking lot (Manter’s Point) will be closed to both vehicles and boats. Any vehicles or boats on the beach will be required to leave by 6. This regulation does not apply to property owners and their guests (with the appropriate passes), provided all vehicles belonging to them are parked on private property.
And remember, the purple Long Beach stickers expire this Tuesday, June 30, and the new green stickers will be required beginning Wednesday, July 1. Stickers can be purchased at the tax collector’s window in Town Hall and online (by check, debit or credit card) at www.plymouth-ma.gov. Stickers should be applied to the front driver’s side window or the lower windshield on the driver’s side, rather than on any tinted rear window, which can make the sticker difficult to read.
Updates on the status of the beach will be posted on the Environmental Management Department’s page on the town’s Web site. For direct access, go to
www.plymouth-ma.gov/Public_Documents/PlymouthMA_EnvironManage/beach, or go to www.plymouth-ma.gov, click on Environmental Management and follow the links to the info on the beach.
