PENNSYLVANIA, June 25 - WHEREAS, After Federal protection, significant piping plover

research led to successful conservation that steadily increased

the population throughout the Great Lakes; and

WHEREAS, Young piping plovers began visiting historic habitat

in the early 2000s, including Presque Isle State Park; and

WHEREAS, Young piping plovers began visiting historic habitat

in the early 2000s, including Presque Isle State Park; and

WHEREAS, Three male piping plovers were observed at Presque

Isle State Park in 2005; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action

Plan identified piping plover as a species of greatest

conservation need; and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Game Commission sought to

understand limiting factors to piping plovers returning as

nesting species in this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, The Presque Isle State Park Management Plan

highlights piping plover conservation needs; and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Game Commission contracted the

Presque Isle State Park Piping Plover Recovery Assessment,

completed in 2007, that outlined needs to enhance recolonization

potential; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, the Pennsylvania Game Commission initiated

a Pennsylvania Piping Plover and Common Tern Recovery

partnership, including the United States Fish and Wildlife

Service, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,

United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Department

of Agricultural Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and

local nongovernmental organizations, including Erie Bird

Observatory and Western Pennsylvania Conservatory, to dedicate

resources to piping plover habitat preparation, monitoring and

20260SR0347PN1846 - 3 -

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30