MA Piping Plover Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)

A plan to advance conservation and recovery in Massachusetts while maintaining and improving public access, recreation and economic activities associated with the state's beaches.

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The Piping Plover is a state and federally Threatened shorebird that nests on Massachusetts Beaches.

Piping Plover, Threatened. Photo by Bill Byrne, MassWildlife

As recently as 1986, there were only 140 breeding pairs of Piping Plover in Massachusetts. Even after population increases during the last 3 decades, the global plover population is less than 10,000 adults. That’s less than the number of people that might be at one popular beach on a hazy August afternoon.

Massachusetts is a leader in Piping Plover conservation thanks to the conservation actions of beach managers and landowners. Our population has increased in recent decades, and we now have close to 700 breeding pairs.

In recognition of this ongoing recovery and conservation success, MassWildlife worked with a variety of stakeholders from coastal communities and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to develop the MA Habitat Conservation Plan for Piping Plovers (HCP). The HCP was approved by the USFWS in July 2016.

The HCP:

Advances Piping Plover conservation through a variety of conservation actions that plan participants will be required to undertake
Maintains and improves public access, recreational opportunities, and economic activity associated with the state’s beaches
Streamlines the state and federal permitting process

Additional Resources

USFWS News Release
MA Piping Plover Habitat Conservation Plan (MAHCP) Stakeholder Group
HCP Certificates of Inclusion
Piping Plover HCP Annual Reports
Open PDF file, 5.16 MB, Piping Plover Habitat Conservation Plan (English, PDF 5.16 MB)
Open PDF file, 804.72 KB, USFWS MA Piping Plover HCP Incidental Take Permit (English, PDF 804.72 KB)
Open PDF file, 117.34 KB, Appendix E – Amendment to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFW) Habitat Conservation Plan For Piping Plover (English, PDF 117.34 KB)
Open PDF file, 657.37 KB, Finding of No New Significant Impact (English, PDF 657.37 KB)

Learn more

Want to know more about MassWildlife’s role on Piping Plover conservation? Read “Success on the Sand” an article that appeared in Massachusetts Wildlife magazine in 2016.