Conservation group urges public to help shorebirds by cleaning beaches

A two-day-old Piping Plover runs along a beach just ahead of waves lapping on the shore in the Quonochontaug Conservation Area in Westerly, R.I., Thursday, July 12, 2007. (AP / Steven Senne)

GLACE BAY, N.S. - A conservation group is hoping to help shorebirds as they return to Cape Breton by cleaning up a beach.

The Atlantic Coastal Action Plan in Cape Breton is encouraging the public to help with the cleanup of Big Glace Bay Beach on Saturday afternoon.

The group says garbage on beaches is a threat to breeding birds and terns, among them the piping plover, an endangered shorebird.

The birds rely on sandy beaches to nest and raise their young when returning to the province in April and May to lay their eggs.

The group says garbage poses a hazard to birds and other wildlife and may also attract predators.

Sue Abbot, program co-ordinator for Bird Studies Canada, says last year one plover pair nested at Big Glace Bay beach and three out of its four young survived.

She describes that a great outcome for the species.

Fewer than 50 pairs breed in Nova Scotia, which remains below the population recovery goal of 60 pairs.