Wells

Paula Mascone, volunteer coordinator with the Maine Audubon Society happily anticipates the arrival of the piping plover each year to the beaches of Maine. In the spring as the birds come to nest Paula gets to share her love of the plover with her community. She brings school children to see the nesting grounds where Audubon and the Fish and Wildlife biologists have erected what they call "exclosures". These are little enclosures that have holes in the netting big enough for the plover to move in and out but small enough to keep birds of prey, dogs and humans out. Paula organizes groups of school children and community members to visit "exclosures" and to pick up trash along the beaches. Paula also works with homeowners along the beaches to ensure that they know what the bird looks like and what a plover nest looks like. In Maine the piping plover is severely endangered but each year more and more nesting pairs are successfully raising chicks.

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