
Piping plovers were first documented nesting on Long Island in the Apostle Islands in 1974, and one to two pairs continued to nest on Long Island through 1983. Then, after an absence of 15 years that coincided with a regional collapse of the population, a rebound started in 1998, but with no more than one pair recorded nesting in the Apostle Islands most years until 2006.
Coinciding with a regional resurgence of the population, breeding numbers in the Apostles began to increase. From 2006 to 2020, three to six pairs of piping plovers have nested in the Apostle Islands, with pairs fanning out to two additional islands as high water levels and severe storms have eroded available breeding habitat on Long Island.
Partnerships with tribal, state, and federal officials have been key to monitoring piping plovers in the islands.
Presenter biography
Sumner Matteson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

To sample more sessions choose below

50 Years of Archeology at the Apostle Islands

A Retrospective – Research and Resource Management at Apostle Islands NL

A singing wilderness: Songbirds of the Apostle Islands

A Vulnerability Assessment for Terrestrial Ecosystems

American Martens on the Apostle Islands

Amphibians of the Apostle Islands

Apostle Islands Flora

Emerging Water Resource Issues in the Apostle Islands

Fifty Years of Cultural Resource Research at Apostle Islands NL

Gaylord Nelson: mover, shaker, deal-maker

Longitudinal Trends and Ecology of the Small Mammal Community

New Insights Into the Dynamics of Apostle Islands Carnivore Communities

Past, Present and Future of Fire in the Apostle Islands

Past, present and future of fisheries management in the Apostle Islands

Past, present, and future of piping plovers in the Apostle Islands

Resiliency and vulnerability of Apostle Islands coastal wetlands

Through the eyes of 4th graders

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Under the surface and Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag (lakewolves)
