Piping Plovers Return to Wisconsin Point After 49 Years

Piping plovers have returned to Wisconsin Point in Superior, Wisconsin, marking a significant milestone for Great Lakes wildlife restoration. This discovery ends a 49-year absence of nesting piping plovers at the site, with the last recorded breeding pair in 1977. The return follows a substantial environmental project where harbor sediment was transformed into 14 acres of new habitat.

The $4.5 million restoration project, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, involved moving over 87,000 cubic yards of clean sediment dredged from the Duluth-Superior Harbor. This created ideal shorelines for piping plovers, which require quiet, sandy areas for shallow nests. The effort was a collaborative success involving multiple agencies, including the Wisconsin DNR, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the St. Louis River Alliance.

To protect these vulnerable birds, Wisconsin Point Bird Sanctuary is closed to the public from April 1 to August 24 annually. This closure safeguards eggs and chicks from disturbance. Conservation workers also use predator exclosures over nests. This nesting attempt is part of a broader recovery trend for piping plovers in the Great Lakes, with the population reaching 99 breeding pairs in 2026, the highest since 1986.