Ventura County, July 10 (2003)---A second Western Snowy Plover nest was discovered Wednesday afternoon on Hollywood Beach in Ventura County where another nest was found 13 days ago.

The second nest was discovered by Jayne Ziv, wife of the Thousand Oaks dentist Jon Ziv, who discovered the first nest on the public beach behind their home. "I was excited when I found the nest, but I was even more excited when I saw the bird come back to sit on it," she said.

"The second birds have acknowledged the protective perimeter around our `Rosa Parks Plover' nest," said Alan Sanders, program manager for the Western Alliance for for Nature. "The discovery of this second nest confirms that Hollywood Beach provides critical habitat for Western Snowy Plovers," he said. Sanders is responsible for the success of the Western Alliance for Nature's least tern and snowy plover project at nearby Ormond Beach.

"Birds don't see human, municipal or property lines," said Larry Wan, founder and board chair of the Western Alliance for Nature, "but they know their habitat when they see it. The successful programs taking place at Ormond Beach and Coal Oil Point are causing the plovers to look again at places where they haven't been for decades and deciding that these are a `good spot.' But it's up to us humans to make it safe for them."

The plover is a federally listed endangered species with only about 1000 in existence. The six-inch birds make their nests in depressions in the sand. The birds and their eggs are protectively colored to blend in with the sand. They face extinction because dogs, modern beach grooming equipment and beaches crowded with humans now make it difficult for the timid birds to nest on popular beaches. California Department of Fish and Game statistics for 2002 found no plover nests in all of Los Angeles County and about 230 throughout Ventura County, including San Nicolas Island. The nesting season stretches from April to September.

The Western Alliance for Nature is working to secure as much as 1500 acres at Ormond Beach to give the Western Snowy Plover and six other endangered and special status bird species found there as much range there as possible. The other birds include the California least tern, the peregrine falcon, the brown pelican, the Beldings Savannah sparrow, the horned lark and the white tailed kite. Anyone who would like to help patrol both Hollywood and Ormond Beach will be most welcome. Volunteers for beach patrol duties may telephone Alan Sanders at 805-488-7988.

The Western Alliance for Nature is a tax-exempt nonprofit land conservancy founded to protect wildlife habitat, Native American cultural resources and sacred sites and public access. For more information visit www.wanconservancy.org or telephone (323) 345-1555.