If it sounds like Ploverpalooza is the punchline to a birder’s joke, you’d be wrong. The annual fest at Wasaga Beach is a birder’s dream though, celebrating local efforts which have brought the Piping Plover back from the edge of extinction. Following a 30-year absence wrought by development and loss of habitat, Piping plovers returned to Great Lakes’ beaches in 2007. Supported by local stewardship efforts, ornithological groups, provincial legislation and conservation programs, the previously extirpated bird has enjoyed some recovery thanks to protection of its habitat. But the Piping Plover remains endangered, and fledglings so few that those returning earn naming rights and those not surviving are mourned at their passing. Much of the birds’ prime habitat at Wasaga Beach is part of the eponymous Provincial Park, protected by conservation legislation pertaining to these designated lands. Crucial for their continued recovery, these protections prevent development and limit activities which place pressure on the birds’ habitat, even more important in the context of enormous pressures stemming from one million visitors who flock to Wasaga Beach every year.
This fragile existence is now threatened by recent actions of the provincial government. Critical protections for the Piping Plover under the Endangered Species Act were removed with the passage of Bill 5 last month. And now under proposal are amendments to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act as well as the Historical Parks Act to allow transfer of protected parts of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to the Town of Wasaga Beach and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. As part of a $38 million investment in the Town of Wasaga Beach, the province intends to build a “premier tourist destination” with development of prime Piping Plover habitat. What’s more, conservation groups fear that the proposed changes to the Parks Act would set a dangerous precedent, enabling future transfers from Provincial Parks’ lands for development.
If you care about the plight of the Piping Plover or have concerns about land transfers from our Provincial Parks, you can have your say. Until August 11, you can leave a comment on the government’s proposed changes to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act as well as the Historical Parks Act. You can also sign a petition or consider signing letters prepared by other nature advocates. Let’s protect our parks and conserve critical habitat, we can’t afford to set back the clock on the Piping Plover.
Kate B