Wasaga Beach Advances Piping Plover Protection Through Collaboration with Birds Canada

Dedicated training and threat mitigation support from Birds Canada will support municipal stewardship plans

WASAGA BEACH, ON, April 9, 2026 /CNW/ - The Town of Wasaga Beach is collaborating with Birds Canada to support the protection and monitoring of Piping Plovers through targeted training and coordinated stewardship along the beachfront.

The initiative comes as the Town assumes a greater role in managing key sections of its shoreline following the transfer of a portion of beachfront lands from the Province. The collaboration is intended to ensure that local stewardship is aligned with established conservation science, species-at-risk management best practices, and the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Beginning April 9, Birds Canada will deliver workshops and field-based training to Town staff and stewardship teams, focusing on monitoring and surveying protocols, threat mitigation, habitat protection and education. Regular training provided by Birds Canada will build the Town's knowledge and capacity, and become a formal part of its Municipal Piping Plover Beach Management Plan.

In addition to training, here's how the Town and Birds Canada are working together:

• The Town's stewardship team will monitor, conduct public outreach and education, maintain interpretive signage, enforce local bylaws to protect the dunes and critical habitat, undertake efforts to safeguard nests from predators and human disturbance, and coordinate on-the-ground operations in accordance with established protocols and the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).
• Birds Canada will deliver ongoing training and on-the-ground support from the moment a plover nest is spotted at Wasaga Beach. This includes nest monitoring and threat mitigation measures, such as installing fencing and enclosures to ensure any plovers nesting at Wasaga Beach are protected from predators in accordance with established protocols and the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).

"Protecting species at risk is a core responsibility of the Town of Wasaga Beach as we take on an expanded stewardship role," said Mayor Brian Smith. "This collaboration ensures the Town's work is informed by recognized expertise and grounded in best practices. There is nobody more qualified than Birds Canada to deliver this training, or to deliver on-the-ground support to our municipal stewardship team throughout the nesting season."

The Town's collaboration with Birds Canada builds on work already underway with the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) to develop a long-term stewardship framework and a comprehensive Municipal Piping Plover Beach Management Plan. This work will establish clear protocols for habitat protection, monitoring, public use, and adaptive management over time--and ensure alignment with federal and provincial requirements. 

"Effective conservation requires coordination, consistency, and clear protocols," said Jennifer Vincent, Chief Administrative Officer with the NVCA. "This collaboration with Birds Canada will build on the important work already underway by NVCA to strengthen the Town's capacity to protect species at risk." 

Given the declining success and increasing variability in nesting outcomes at Wasaga Beach over the past decade, part of the work underway with the NVCA will be reviewing and exploring ways to strengthen current approaches to monitoring, threat mitigation, and stewardship.

The Town is also collaborating with the Canadian Wildlife Service on best practices and obtaining all necessary federal permits.

The Town's expanded stewardship role is being advanced through Destination Wasaga, a bold initiative to reimagine the future of Wasaga Beach's waterfront and downtown, with an emphasis on eco-tourism, environmental responsibility, local stewardship, and public access.

Quick Facts

• Wasaga Beach is part of a globally significant Great Lakes shoreline ecosystem that supports species at risk. It is also the longest freshwater beach in the world, a major tourism destination, and home to one of Ontario's most visited "recreation class" provincial parks. Each year, the Town welcomes over 2 million visitors to enjoy its beachfront, local businesses and special events.
• In 2025, Birds Canada reports that only four Piping Plover nests were successful across Ontario's Great Lakes, underscoring the need for consistent, science-based stewardship.
• In 2025, there were 88 breeding pairs of Piping Plovers across the entire Great Lakes basin. The majority of these birds breed in Michigan.
• Recent years have seen intermittent nesting activity at Wasaga Beach, with limited and variable fledging success. In 2025, two pairs of piping plovers nested at Wasaga Beach but no chicks survived predators. 
• Common Piping Plover predators include: foxes, raccoons, skunks, bay gulls, crows, merlins and other birds of prey, and off-leash dogs which can target eggs and chicks, which are highly exposed on open beaches.
• To help ensure conservation success for the Piping Plover at Wasaga Beach during the breeding season, residents and visitors are required to respect marked nesting areas, maintain appropriate distances from wildlife, and comply with all posted signage.

Learn more: www.wasagabeach.com/imagine

SOURCE Town of Wasaga Beach

Media Contact: Karla Findlay, Special Projects Leader, [email protected]; Sandra Watts, General Manager, External Relations, [email protected]