[Maine-birds] Scarborough Beach

Hi,

I'm certain most birders are aware of the stew over dogs on Scarborough Beach.  I'm displeased with the proposed "rules" for unleashed dogs during the summer, which allow unleashed canines on the beach before 9am and after 5pm.  This is fine for protecting beach goers with children and those who dislike being mugged by Labrador retrievers when swimming.  However, it won't protect piping plover chicks.  Too, the initial proposal by the town council was so draconian I'm not surprised it was voted down by all and sundry.

To protect the plovers and also to protect the public's perception of environmentalists, I'd like to propose to the Scarborough council that dogs be leashed at all times ONLY when there is a verifiable plover nest, and perhaps a few weeks after the chicks hatch.  Certainly there must be a few birders in the area that could act as beach inspectors during the summer, and perhaps we could ask Maine Audubon or the State's department of Fish and Wildlife to support this practice.  These might even help negotiate with the town council and put up wire protectors against cats and raccoons for the eggs, if any are present.

It's important to present environmentalists as logical and cooperative, and important to protect plover chicks.  Of course, it's not politically correct nowadays to present anything approaching a logical solution to a problem, but we could give it a try anyway.

What do you think?  Are there representatives of environmental groups that read this list and that would be willing to approach their organizations about this issue?  Is there an ornithologist teaching near Portland that could help?

BAB

--
Bruce Bartrug
Nobleboro, Maine, USA
bbartrug@gmail.com
www.brucebartrug.com

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.  - Albert Einstein

--
Maine birds mailing list
maine-birds@googlegroups.com
http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds
https://sites.google.com/site/birding207
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maine birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to maine-birds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.