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    plover Photo Credit: Malcolm Kurtz / Erie Bird Observatory
    Saturday, July 18 2026

    Pennsylvania Piping Plover Fest

    Join the Pennsylvania Piping Plover & Common Tern Recovery Partnership as we celebrate 10 years of piping plovers nesting in Pennsylvania!

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    Overview

    In Pennsylvania, the return of the piping plover to Presque Isle is a powerful sign of hope. It shows that when people work together and use science-based conservation, we can help wildlife recover. The plover’s comeback has become a symbol of what’s possible when communities, habitat managers, educators, and decision-makers all play a role in protecting our state’s threatened and endangered species.

    Event Highlights

    plover eggs

    Film Premier & Expert Panel

    Join us for an exclusive premier of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s newest film “Our Threatened & Endangered Species:  Piping Plovers”. 

     

    Following the film, there will be a discussion panel with members of the recovery team. 

    Watch the Trailer
    plover chick

    Field Trips

    Join experts Sunday, July 19 on guided field trips to Gull Point Natural Area at Presque Isle State Park, the only place in Pennsylvania where piping plovers’ nest and raise their chicks!

     

    More information to be announced soon.

     

    plover banded

    Piping Plover Exhibit

    Be sure to visit the Tom Ridge Environmental Center to learn more about the recovery of the piping plover in Pennsylvania! Explore what makes a plover a plover, learn about the challenges and success stories the recovery team has faced, and try out some of the monitoring equipment used in the field!

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    plover in flight

    Interactive Education

    Get hands-on while learning more about how you can help piping plovers in the Great Lakes! Crafts, activities, and trivia will be available for all ages to enjoy!

    Wetland Coloring Sheet
    Francie

    Meet the Keynote Speaker!

    Dr. Francie Cuthbert received her PhD in Ecology at the University of Minnesota and is currently a Professor Emerita in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a Scientific Investigator at the University of Michigan Biological Station. For the past 40 years her research has focused on three topics in avian biology and conservation: recovery of federal or state listed species (especially piping plovers); ecology and population dynamics of colonial nesting waterbirds; and ecology and management of abundant species (especially double-crested cormorants). Most of her research involves working closely with federal and state agency biologists to facilitate conservation and management. She has advised more than 50 MS and PhD students. Dr. Cuthbert is a past President of the Waterbird Society, Member of the Waterbird Conservation Council of the Americas and a Fellow in the American Ornithologists’ Union.

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