Animal Division: Individual Conservation and Research Projects

Piping Plover

As in previous years, Zoo staff is participating in captive husbandry protocols and designated research projects to benefit wild populations of piping plovers in partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Lincoln Park Zoo, St. Louis Zoo, Houston Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, New England Aquarium and the AZA Piping Plover Specialist Group.

As part of public education projects, our Zoo helped design and fund interpretive graphic panels installed in Michigan at nesting grounds, explaining piping plover conservation efforts to waterfront visitors.

Field research programs of piping plovers continued in the wild in North and South Dakotas.   For two weeks during the summer, the study of courtship behaviors, captive rearing of chicks for release, habitat usage and census techniques were conducted.   Each summer, the Zoo sends staff to South Dakota to assist with these studies.   Once again, a large portion of this work has been directly applied to the captive management of the Zoo's piping plovers.