Great Lakes piping plovers set a record for the fifth year in a row
Ninety-nine pairs of the endangered shorebirds nested across all five Great Lakes this year and fledged a record 184 chicks. Plovers also returned to restored Cat Island in Green Bay for the first time in 75 years.
Years of beach protection and habitat repair are paying off for an endangered shorebird.
The recovery goal is 150 pairs for five straight years, so there is still a way to go.
Audubon Great Lakes ↗· Oct 7, 2026