Threatened-animal updates: piping plover; desert tortoise - 2700 piping plovers now live on US Atlantic coast; Utah preserves desert tortoise habitat - Greenzine

Ranger Rick, August, 1996

Piping Plover

Good news--a little bird is coming back in bigger numbers! The piping plover has had trouble on the beaches where it lives along the East Coast. (See "The Adventures of Ranger Rick, July 1995).

These shy birds can be disturbed by people who let their dogs run loose, drive off-road vehicles, or fly kites. Ten years ago, there were so few piping plovers left that the bird was put on the U.S. list of threatened animals.

Since then, lots of people have been helping protect the birds and their eggs. Every year more babies are surviving. Now there are at least 2700 piping plovers living along the Atlantic Coast.

Some piping plovers also live in Michigan along the shores of the Great Lakes. These plovers are on that state's endangered species list. Luckily, though, their numbers are going up too--slowly but surely.

Desert Tortoise

Remember the desert tortoises in "The Adventures of Ranger Rick" in the March 1996 issue? This threatened reptile has had too many problems. Buildings and roads have taken over a lot of its natural home. And too many off-road vehicles have caused damage in the natural areas left.

But here's a piece of good news: A big chunk of land where the tortoises live--61,000 acres--is getting protected as a reserve in Washington County, Utah.

It took six years to reach this agreement to make a reserve. Some people wanted to build on the land, and others wanted to protect even more land for the tortoises. Finally, some builders agreed to trade land they owned in the reserve for land elsewhere. It's great to hear about people working out agreements that help protect threatened animals!