Rosa Parks Plover gets best seat on the beach

The Western Alliance for Nature has filed an application for an emergency permit with the Ventura Office of the California Coastal Commission to approve fencing that it has erected on Hollywood-by-the-Sea beach. The fence has been built around the nest of a Western Snowy Plover, a federally listed endangered species, discovered last Friday, June 27. Previously, no plover nests have ever been found on the beach.

Dubbed "Rosa Parks Plover" for her fearless determination to assert her avian rights, the plover seems to be comfortably nesting despite news crews and photographers. The Western Alliance's permit application requested permission to erect a second fence around a much wider area to prevent beachgoers and curiosity seekers from scaring the bird off its nest.

Documentation of the nest establishes Hollywood-by-the-Sea as a critical habitat for the endangered bird, meaning that certain activities can be prohibited, including beach grooming with heavy equipment. It also permits restriction of human activity near the nest during the nesting season from April to September. Destroying the nest of an endangered bird constitutes a federal offense.

According to Alan Sanders, manager of the Western Alliance for Nature's Least Tern/Snowy Plover Project at nearby Ormond Beach, "this is the most important bird in Ventura County, possibly in Southern California. The return of this nesting plover to Hollywood-by-the-Sea Beach might mean that eventually many of the beaches of Southern California could be considered critical habitat for the Western Snowy Plover."

The nesting bird was discovered by Dr. Jonathan Ziv, a Ventura County dentist, during a morning walk. His son, 14-year-old Zak Ziv, an Eagle Scout, has taken charge of organizing volunteers for two-hour shifts to guard the perimeter around the bird from dogs off leash, four-wheel drive vehicles or inattentive beachgoers. Persons interested in volunteering to protect Rosa Parks Plover may call 805-985-5298.

Click below for more about Snowy Plovers at Hollywood Beach:

Second Endangered Species Nest Discovered at Hollywood Beach

Saving Ormond Beach