Daily Herald opinion: ‘Plover fever’: Protecting shorebird pairs a worthy passion

Last week’s reunion of Pepper and Blaze has all the makings of a Hollywood-meets-Audubon love story.

An epic journey to reunite. A stirring but still-fragile comeback. And a devoted supporting cast working to make sure the lovebirds, and others like them, get a happy ending.

As our Mick Zawislak reported earlier this week, Blaze and Pepper are federally endangered piping plovers, and these sand-colored shorebirds have returned for a second year to a private beach in Lake County.

What’s amazing about their reunion is that Blaze arrived from North Carolina, Pepper from Florida, on the same day at nearly the same time. And they ended their journey on the same stretch of Waukegan beach along Lake Michigan where they came together last year.

“Two birds, wintering in locations nearly 1,000 miles apart, arriving within a few feet of where they nested in 2024. How do they do it?” asked the Lake County Audubon Society in welcoming the pair home.

How, indeed. But what’s even more amazing is that Blaze and Pepper are part of a survival story for a species threatened with extinction. Here in Illinois, we play a part in making sure that doesn’t happen.

Plovers nest in three regions of North America: along the Atlantic coast, along the rivers and lakes of the Northern Great Plains and on the shores of the Great Lakes. The first two groups are classified as threatened; plovers of the Great Lakes are endangered.

Seven decades ago, piping plovers disappeared from Illinois’ beaches. By the mid-1980s, there were about 15 pairs in the Great Lakes. That number is now growing.

That’s why the comings and goings a few years ago of Monty and Rose — who tried unsuccessfully to nest in a Waukegan parking lot before settling a year later at Chicago’s Montrose Beach — drew such excitement.

In 2024, the Great Lakes saw 81 successfully nesting pairs. There are 30 so far this year, most in northern Michigan. And more are expected.

“Piping plovers are special because they’re incredibly charismatic — the very fierceness that is needed as they struggle to come back from the edge of extinction,” said Carolyn Lueck, president of the Lake County Audubon Society.

“People get plover fever,” she added.

Count us among the afflicted.

But the continuing survival of this species takes more than just fans. It takes the hard work and tracking of endangered species recovery specialists. And it takes the commitment of elected officials and local residents to do what we can to support their efforts.

Sharing our Shore, a partnership between Lake County Audubon and the city of Waukegan, helps safeguard the plovers and educate the public about the lakefront area.

Protection is key.

So is steering clear of the site. The area where Blaze and Pepper will nest is monitored, and anyone who attempts to breach it will face heavy fines.

But there is more to be done, whether it’s volunteering or donating or simply teaching our children to respect natural spaces and the species that inhabit them — before it’s too late.