Piping Plover Nest Found at Gordons Pond – Portion of Beach to Close Beginning Monday
A portion of the beach at Gordons Pond at Cape Henlopen State Park will be closed beginning on Monday, June 26, after a piping plover nest was discovered there. This is a temporary closure of 800 feet of beach to protect the nest and any plover chicks that may hatch and fledge from it. Fencing will be installed around the nest and extend to the high water mark– this is the first closure at Gordons Pond since 2016. Drive-on surf fishing will continue, but access will be slightly limited due to the newly found nest. Anglers will also not be able to access Gordons Pond from the Herring Point access. This closure could run into August if the nest remains active.
Additional information from DNREC:
The piping plover is listed as a state-endangered species in Delaware by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife in addition to its threatened status listing on the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) under the protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
During the protective period, drive-on surf fishing reservations for weekends and holidays will continue to be taken by the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, but surf fishing access will be slightly limited due to the closed beach area’s proximity to the newly-discovered piping plover nest. Drive-on surf fishing access will be permitted from Herring Point and Gordons Pond; however, anglers will not be able to access Gordons Pond from the Herring Point access, or vice versa. Driving through the closed piping plover area is prohibited during this time and could result in fines from Delaware Natural Resources Police Park Rangers or USFWS, or both, should the nest or the piping plovers be adversely impacted. Closure restrictions are to be enforced as long as the nest remains active, which, by USFWS calculations, could run well into August.
Since it was launched earlier this spring, the pilot surf fishing program’s peak daily reservation sales portal has combined Herring Point and Gordons Pond as a single reservable location. To accommodate restrictions on surf fishing vehicles during the temporary closure, the sales portal has been updated to offer separate reservation options for drive-on access to either Herring Point or Gordons Pond. Runners and other recreationalists are also prohibited from entering the restricted piping plover protection area during the closure at Cape Henlopen.
For more information about piping plovers and DNREC volunteer opportunities for monitoring the beach-nesting species, contact DNREC Avian Conservation Program Manager Sam Robinson at 302-735-8667, or email Samantha.Robinson@delaware.gov. For more information about surf fishing in Delaware, including surf fishing reservation availability and current beach accessibility at Delaware State Parks’ drive-on beaches, visit destateparks.com/SurfTagSales.
