Snowy Plover Project
Beginning in 2024, we are offering a new community science project as part of a partnership between Tracy Aviary, Audubon Rockies, and the Saline Lakes Program at National Audubon Society that seeks to understand the impact of human recreation on Snowy Plover nest success at the South Shore of Great Salt Lake.
We will be holding a training via zoom on Thursday, March 28th at 7pm. This training will be recorded and can be watched afterward by volunteers unable to attend that evening. Read more about the project below, sign up to participate!
Project Details
Snowy Plovers are declining across their range, and the interior population depends on Great Salt Lake as a critically important breeding site. The south shore of Great Salt Lake is a popular recreation area, and disturbances in this region may be negatively impacting the Snowy Plovers trying to nest there. This project seeks to understand if and how this is happening, so we can develop solutions to conserve this charismatic little bird. From April - August, we will be monitoring Snowy Plover nests at several sites on the Great Salt Lake South Shore, installing cameras to monitor the nests and determine nest fate, and doing surveys and outreach for visitors to these sites to better understand the recreational impacts these birds face.
We have three volunteer roles for this project, which takes place from April - August each year.
Nest Monitors: Full site survey for new and existing nests, nest checks near estimated hatch dates
Camera Crew: Help set up nest cameras and retrieve SD cards. Retrieve camera assembly from hatched and lost nests.
Rec Team: Recreational Use Surveys and education/outreach for south shore visitors
Questions? email conservation@tracyaviary.org