Support Additional Protections at Montrose Dunes
There is a proposal on the table to extend the protected area of the Montrose Beach Dunes to include the Bank Swallow and Piping Plover nesting/feeding area. For those not as familiar with the dunes, this area, a small enclave protected from the lake by the already established dune area, is traditionally where volleyball courts are placed every summer. This area has been home to Bank Swallows for a number of years, a species of concern and in decline across its range. More recently, the area has been blocked off as it proved critical to the famous Piping Plovers, Monty and Rose, in the rearing of their young two years in a row. The steward of the site, Leslie Borns, has been leading the charge on making this proposal reality and has put together a good blog post summarizing the proposal and logic behind it which you can read here:
This is a good idea and one COS naturally supports. The COS board recently sent a letter to Chicago Park District officials in support of this habitat expansion. We encourage anyone who supports this proposal areas to consider doing the same. Feel free to utilize language from Leslie’s blog post or our letter, which is included below, to formulate your own. You can then send your letter to the following officials:
mike.kelly@chicagoparkdistrict.com (General Superintendent)
patrick.levar@chicagoparkdistrict.com (Chief Operating Officer)
matthew.freer@chicagoparkdistrict.com (Assistant Director of Landscape, Cultural and Natural Resources Department)
cathy.breitenbach@chicagoparkdistrict.com (Director, Cultural and Natural Resources Department)
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Esteemed Colleagues,
Chicago Ornithological Society (COS) fully supports the proposal that the Chicago Park District add the Piping Plover nesting/foraging area and the Bank Swallow colony to Montrose Beach Dunes and grant it formal protection. The proposal encompasses a small but vitally important area of the Dunes which will be critical to the survival of numerous rare and endangered species including:
Great Lakes Piping Plovers, a federally endangered species making a slow recovery in our region and nesting in Chicago for the first time in over 60 years
Bank Swallows, a species with limited habitat availability and in precipitous decline across its range but maintaining a stable colony within the area in question
Dozens of state and federally listed species, 28 plants and 18 birds, which persist in this globally threatened ecosystem type
Adding more protected habitat would be an important benefit to not only those listed above but to the numerous other plants and animals that use the internationally-acclaimed Montrose natural areas.
An enhanced and expanded natural area will also serve and improve the community. The new habitat addition would still be open to the public, just as the entire habitat is always open to the public, outside of the brief Piping Plover nesting period.
The success of Monty and Rose in particular has created an enormous outpouring of interest and support from the public, in Chicago and nationally. This intrepid pair has served as ambassadors of goodwill and fostered increased awareness and concern about the environment. Birders and non-birders alike have been thrilled by the pair’s defiance of the odds and realize how caring humans can raise the chances for the Great Lakes Piping Plover’s continued survival.
COS appreciates and applauds the steadfast and continuous support the Chicago Park District has provided over the more than twenty years since natural area stewardship began at Montrose. This work has garnered respect, admiration, and positive publicity from Chicago area residents and beyond. COS urges that the Chicago Park District step up its support to the next level by extending the protections that have seen so much success.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
CHICAGO ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY