About Us
WesternSnowyPlover.org and its interactive website/database were created in 2002 by a coalition of individuals interested in western snowy plover preservation. Its development has been funded by public grants and donations from private benefactors. Invaluable feedback and data have been shared by the recovery site managers and monitors from California's Recovery Unit 5, who are responsible for the largest number of breeding and wintering plovers, and who are identified as providing 40% of the total rangewide recovery target goal of breeding adult birds. All RU5 sites and sub-sites with monitoring programs contribute data annually, which allows an enhanced regional perspective. Breeding and winter window survey data are entered to provide snapshots of rangewide population trends. Website use has expanded beyond RU5 and we encourage the entire U.S. Pacific Coast range to continue its use for the duration of the western snowy plover recovery process.
Website functionality continues to be enhanced. A partnership established between westernsnowyplover.org, The Urban Wildlands Group and Audubon California takes advantage of various types of environmental science expertise. The Urban Wildlands Group continues to maintain westernsnowyplover.org and the secure database, providing data analysis and synthesis and support for Recovery Unit coordinators, site managers, and field monitors. In 2012, Audubon California created a dedicated section within the "Key Species" portion of their website, "Protecting the Western Snowy Plover," which targets the general public and is useful for outreach and volunteer coordinators; it includes educational information and resources migrated from westernsnowyplover.org plus connections to local volunteer and outreach opportunities.
The site was initially designed to be a central forum for education, communication, and community involvement in the fight to protect and encourage recovery of the threatened western snowy plover. Many different groups, both public and private, are involved in species recovery; therefore it's crucial that groups coordinate efforts and share information to achieve effective solutions. The westernsnowyplover.org goal is to foster an ongoing partnership and dialog between public agencies, organizations, land owners, site managers, field monitors, outreach and volunteer coordinators, and the general public. Ideally, this site will serve as a model for future species recovery projects. We appreciate your comments and suggestions: email info@westernsnowyplover.org.