Visitors to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are often treated to tiny scurrying beachcombers — piping plovers. Future visitors, however, could see fewer of these celebrated shorebirds. A new study reveals that the endangered shorebird population could decline over the next 10 years and changes in management strategies are needed. The authors demonstrate that current counting methods may not accurately predict future plover populations without considering a growing predator population.
