Join the Plover Patrol: Protecting One of Michigan’s Rarest Species

PHOTO FROM GREATLAKESPIPINGPLOVER.ORG

Along the sandy shores of the Great Lakes, a small, endangered shorebird fights for its species survival. The Great Lakes Piping Plover nests exclusively on wide, open beaches—places that are severely at risk of human disturbance, development, and predators.

Thanks to decades of determined conservation work, these birds still have a fighting chance. Since 1986, the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Team—a coalition led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—has been working nonstop to save the species from extinction. Their efforts include:

  • Monitoring nests frequently during the breeding season

  • Protecting eggs with wire exclosures to keep predators out

  • Controlling predators like foxes and raccoons in nesting areas

  • Educating beach users and communities about how to avoid disturbing plovers

  • Preserving and restoring habitat along key stretches of shoreline

  • Captive-rearing abandoned chicks in special recovery programs

  • Banding plovers and conducting long-term research

  • Tracking sightings on wintering grounds to understand migration

To support this essential work, we’ve created a limited-edition Plover Patrol Brewer’s Shirt—and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Made by Red Kap work shirts in Spruce Green, each shirt features a beautifully hand-drawn piping plover by local artist Jen Kruch on the back. Whether you’re beachcombing, birdwatching, or brewing up something new, this is a shirt with a purpose.

$5 from every sale goes directly to the Recovery Team, helping fund these conservation efforts and raise awareness about one of the Great Lakes’ rarest residents.

Want to do more?

You can help protect piping plovers every time you visit the beach by:

  • Leashing your pets and respecting “No Pets” zones

  • Avoiding nesting areas and flying kites near dunes

  • Cleaning up trash and never feeding beach wildlife

  • Reporting disturbances or sightings in unfenced zones

  • Volunteering to help monitor nests or spread the word

Learn more and get involved at greatlakespipingplovers.org.

Join the patrol. Wear your support. And help keep these tiny shorebirds flying.

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