Advocacy and Education

Advocacy Program
The CWP is the primary advocate for the protection of coastal birds and their habitats in Massachusetts. Staff of the CWP works year-round with a variety of public and private property owners as well as a number of local, state, and federal agencies to increase the protection of coastal birds and habitats. Projects include consulting on beach renourishment and dredging, and reviewing plans for coastal developments.

Educational Efforts
The CWP strives to take full advantage of the fact that the sites it aims to protect are visited and used by large numbers of people. Therefore, CWP has developed a variety of printed materials to hand out to the beach-going public- brochures, a newsletter, and color postcards. Staff of the CWP conducts numerous slide presentations and beach walks for bird clubs, school groups, land trusts, garden clubs, and other local groups. The field program trains fifty interns and volunteers annually who interact with thousands of beach-goers.

Mary Hake, piping plover biologist at Cape Cod National Seashore, produced this photo essay to educate the public about piping plover nesting ecology and conservation. Go to www.savethepipingplover.org to see this beautiful illustration of the species the CWP works to protect.