Barnegat Light in Ocean County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Vanishing Summer Visitor
Piping Plovers
— Coastal Habitats —
Piping plover populations have declined significantly in the past fifty years. Development near the shore has destroyed much of their summer breeding habitat. Because the number of breeding pairs is now less than 15% of their pre 1940s population, they are listed as a federally endangered species.
Conservationists continue to monitor their progress and take measures to promote reproductive success. You can help the piping plover by respecting the beaches they use for nesting.
Erected by State of New Jersey Division of Parks & Forestry and National Park System.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Science & Medicine.
Location. 39° 45.818′ N, 74° 6.182′ W. Marker is in Barnegat Light, New Jersey, in Ocean County. Marker can be reached from Broadway, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, at the end of the boardwalk by the waterfront. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 208 Broadway, Barnegat Light NJ 08006, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Birds of the Beach (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); How Much Water Flows Through Barnegat Inlet (about 300 feet away); U.S. Merchant Marine WW II Memorial (about 700 feet away); Vigilant Guardian (approx. 0.2 miles away); Maritime Forest Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Salty Survivors (approx. 0.2 miles away); Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade (approx. 0.2 miles away); Barnegat Lighthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barnegat Light.
More about this marker. Several pictures appear at the bottom of the marker. On the left is a photo by Joseph Lomax of a piping plover on the beach. It has a caption of “The piping plover lays four speckled eggs camouflaged in a depression on the sand, lined with shells, pebbles, and remnants of driftwood.”
Next to this is an image of two footprints, with a caption of “Compare the track made by the piping plover (left) to those of other shorebirds (right). Without a fourth toe to aid their balance, piping plovers usually stay on hard-packed sand.”
A photograph of a piping plover, by Kevin Karlson, is next, and has a caption of “You can identify the piping plover by its shape, the dark ring around its neck, and the black tip of its beak.”
The rightmost picture is of an “Area Closed, endangered birds nesting” sign that might be seen on the beach. It has the caption, “Obeying posted notices and keeping dogs leashed and away from nesting areas will help to protect breeding piping plovers.”
Also see . . .
1. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. National Park Service website. (Submitted on July 1, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. New Jersey Division of Parks & Forestry website. (Submitted on July 1, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 1, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 501 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 1, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.