CHATHAM – The Town of Chatham is closing its section of the off-road trails on Nauset Beach due to nesting piping plovers.
Wednesday at 8am marks the beginning of the OSV travel ban, which will be in affect until further notice.
The piping plover is a species of beach-dwelling bird whose population status is threatened, according to the state.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service says piping plovers are very sensitive to the presence of humans and vehicles in their territory.
If there is too much noise or development in an area where plovers nest, parent birds have been known to abandon their nests.
The population of the birds in the Great Lakes region is even lower than it is on the Cape, reaching the status of endangered.
In addition to the OSV travel ban in the area, prior restrictions made to protect endangered species are also still active.
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