Wells: A Good Outcome for Beach Management

by Jody Jones, Maine Audubon wildlife ecologist
Habitat, Summer 2003

Back in 1995, I wouldn't have imagined I would be working closely and successfully with town officials and landowners in Wells to manage nesting piping plovers on the town's beaches. At that time, Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife had just proposed
designating several Maine beaches including Wells as "essential habitat" for the endangered piping plover. Designating an area as essential habitat safeguards that area and has helped endangered and threatened
species recover, including the bald eagle. Only 40 pairs of piping plovers nested in Maine in '95, and we needed to make sure that activities carried out by towns or landowners would be done in a way that would not hurt the birds.

Hearings were held in each town where essential habitat was to be designated, with little if any opposition heard, save one key exception: in Wells, a crowd of residents packed the school auditorium and literally shouted down the presentation of the habitat proposal. When it
became clear that those attending would not tolerate the hearing process, IF&W closed the formal hearing prematurely. Instead, the state agency allowed residents to speak their minds informally. When I rose to
speak on behalf of Maine Audubon, threats rang out from the back of the room.

Why was this happening?

Wells was different from other towns in that it had been trying to get both federal and state permits to dredge its harbor, which is adjacent to a sensitive and nationally significant resource, the Rachel Carson
National Wildlife Refuge. Maine Audubon and the state had raised substantial concerns that had delayed the project. Residents were angry and feared any more regulations would effectively kill a future dredge.

In 1998, a significant breakthrough for cooperation occurred when Maine Audubon and the town of Wells agreed on a one-time dredge that would protect the marsh and allow for a smaller harbor area. The negotiations that led to the compromise were the beginning of a less adversarial relationship between Maine Audubon and the town. We hoped we could use
this new beginning to gain cooperation for protecting nesting piping plovers in Wells.

That's when Maine IF&W biologist Mark Stadler convened a meeting of stakeholders to see if we could come up with a voluntary agreement that would assure the birds were protected without designating essential
habitat. After almost two years of negotiation, an agreement was signed by Maine Audubon, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine IF&W, Wells town officials and residents representing their local beach communities. In 2000, voters in Wells also passed the agreement at a town meeting.

Today, as a result of the beach management agreement, we have an active plover protection program in Wells. Our success is best reflected in how
well the birds are doing and what the town does to help them. In 2002 in Wells, there were 13 pairs of piping plovers nesting-20 percent of Maine's entire population. Wells also has hired a skilled coordinator who
recruits volunteers to monitor the birds and also conducts educational programs. The town is keeping better records of its beach management activities and improving its beach-cleaning techniques to ensure
equipment does not run over chicks.

As Wells moves forward with protecting the birds using a voluntary agreement, Maine Audubon and Maine IF&W are working with other towns that have essential habitat designations to make sure that their
activities do not negatively impact the birds. Maine Audubon has pushed hard for written agreements with all towns with nesting piping plovers and conducted
numerous training sessions for town crews working on beaches. Only by gaining support and cooperation can we be assured of hearing the low-pitched, gentle whistle of these birds when we enjoy some of Maine's
most frequently visited beaches.