Snowy plover biologists will be back on the beaches for the shorebird's breeding season starting Sunday.

That means nesting season regulations will be in effect March 15  through Sept. 15. Some area beaches have access restrictions in place during this time to protect  plover nests, eggs and chicks, a U.S. Bureau of Land Management press release said.

Signs and ropes will mark snowy plover nesting areas, where beachgoers will have access to only the wet sand portion of  the beach. Dry sand access there will be closed.

The state and BLM also are asking beachgoers to keep their dogs on leashes when near nesting areas. 

The dry sand closures will be in effect for habitat sites at Sutton Beach, Siltcoos Estuary, Oregon Dunes Day Use, Tahkenitch Estuary, Tenmile Estuary (northern Coos County), the North Spit of Coos Bay, Bandon Beach State Natural Area and New River area beaches. The access restrictions affect  approximately 18 miles of beach in Oregon.

"The plovers had a tough time during the nesting season last year due to a variety of factors, and the birds produced the fewest number of young since 2003. This nesting season, more than ever, we need to help the plovers by staying clear of their nesting areas,"  said Kerrie Palermo, BLM wildlife biologist.

The western snowy plover is a small shorebird that lays its eggs and raises it young in the open dry sand. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the Pacific Coast population of the western snowy plover as threatened in 1993. The primary threats to plover survival are habitat degradation, development, invasive European beachgrass and  predators such as crows, ravens, foxes and skunks. 

For more information on habitat and beach restrictions, call the U.S. Forest Service at (541) 902-8526, or the BLM at 756-0100.