News Release

For Release: March 9, 2006
Contact: Emily Evans, BLM (707) 825-2300
CA-N-06-33

Free Educational Workshop Offered on Western Snowy Plover

North Coast residents can learn about the western snowy plover (a threatened shorebird) and become a volunteer beach docent, by participating in a free two-day workshop that includes and educational session and a field trip to Clam Beach.

The workshop, hosted by the Western Snowy Plover Outreach Subcommittee, is Thursday, March 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Moonstone Beach; and Sunday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Clam Beach.

Thursday's classroom-style session is at the Moonstone Beach House. To get there, take Highway 101 north to the Westhaven exit near Trinidad. Turn left under the freeway and follow signs for Moonstone Beach.

Participants in the Sunday field trip will meet at the Clam Beach north parking lot. To get there, take Highway 101 north from to the Clam Beach exit. Turn left under the freeway, turn right on Clam Beach Road and follow it to the north parking lot.

In the Thursday session, natural resource experts will present information on beach wildlife, habitats and responsible recreation. In the Sunday field trip participants will observe snowy plovers and see first-hand how they use open beach areas for nesting. They will learn how to use a spotting scope and practice techniques for sharing snowy plover information with beach visitors.

Those who complete the session can sign up as a volunteer docent for the summer visitor season. Docents will great beach visitors and provide information about plovers and how to protect their habitat.

Members of the organizing snowy plover working group are from agencies including the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, Friends of the Dunes, California State Parks and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They are cooperating to inform people about the western snowy plover, whose population is declining, and how they can protect beach habitats where the birds nest.

For more information, contact Emily Evans or Amy Krause at the BLM Arcata Field Office, (707) 825-2300.

-BLM-
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Arcata Field Office 1695 Heindon Rd. Arcata, CA 95521

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