Site Summary: Site Summary: Yarmouth Beaches
Nominated By:
Matt Bailey, Scott Hecker
Size:
300 acres
Towns and Counties:
Yarmouth; Barnstable
Ownership:
municipal, private
Major Habitats:
salt marsh, coastal beach, marine/tidal
Land Use:
nature & wildlife conservation/land trust, other recreation or tourism
IBA Criteria:
- Category 1: Sites important for long-term research and/or monitoring projects that contribute substantially to ornithology, bird conservation, and/or education.
- Category 5: Sites regularly holding significant numbers of an endangered, threatened, vulnerable, or declining species.
Site Description:
This strip of beach runs along the south side of Cape Cod and is on Nantucket Sound. The east end of the site is a very busy public beach belonging to the town of Yarmouth, called Seagull Beach, and the west end on Great Island has relatively low recreational use as a private beach. Piping Plovers nest throughout.
Current Conservation Status:
The primary issues at these sites are recreational use and beach nourishment projects. Mass Audubon's Coastal Waterbird Program (CWP) staff work with town officials and private landowners to minimize these effects.
Ornithological Significance:
This site has been a significant nesting area for coastal waterbirds for at least the past seven years. Mass Audubon's CWP has been monitoring the site for fifteen years.
Federally Listed Species:
Species |
Breeding |
Winter |
Migration |
| Piping Plover | 6-10 pairs (1999-2002) | * | * |
* None known
Other Flora or Fauna of Significance:
None known.
Data Sources:
MassWildlife Piping Plover Reports. Extensive records of Piping Plover breeding status from Mass Audubon CWP Records.
