Mountain plover at nest                                                    Photo courtesy   Fritz Knopf

Mountain plovers are crepuscular creatures - active primarily in the low-light and cool of dawn and dusk.Their peculiar dusk and dawn foraging habits combined with pale feathers earned the mountain plover the nickname, 'Ghost of the Prairie' among western settlers.

BCA and WildEarth Guardians sued U.S. Fish & Wildlife on February 7, 2008 claiming that political interference, not science, was the basis for the Service's 2003 removal of Endangered Species Act protection for the plover. Investigations by the Department of Interior's Inspector General's Office proved our allegations to be well-founded. After years of work, our legal efforts and the updated plover science presented to the Service resulted in a settlement that led to the June 29, 2010 U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal to restore protection for the bird under the Endangered Species Act.

Possibly fewer than 1500 mountain plovers breed and nest in Wyoming. Oil and gas fields drive the birds from their natural breeding and nesting areas to agricultural lands where plowing and other farming practices often destroy their nests, eggs, and flightless chicks.

BCA will be collecting and sharing with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service new mountain plover science as it becomes available. A finalized U.S. Fish and Wildlife decision on mountain plover protection is due May 1, 2011.