Learn the latest about one of the Restoration Project’s most charismatic megafauna, the threatened Western Snowy Plover, from Maddy Schwarz of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO). Snowy plovers nest and raise their chicks on stretches of dry ponds, where their eggs and young are vulnerable to predators from the ground and above.
In her talk, Maddy introduces these plovers, their ecology and life history, and the threats facing plovers in the Bay Area and beyond. She dives into different management strategies proposed by the Restoration Project and SFBBO to mitigate those threats and support our local plover population. Finally, she provides information on how plovers fared during the 2024 breeding season, which areas were the most successful, some of the most interesting things that happened during the season, and what SFBBO hopes to accomplish in 2025.
- See video of presentation
- See and download presentation slides
- See links and additional comments shared via meeting chat
Speaker Bio:
Maddy Schwarz is the Snowy Plover and Least Tern Director at San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) and just finished her second season in the position. She has been working in the marshes of San Francisco Bay since 2018 in both the public and private sectors. She graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology in 2017 and first became involved with SFBBO in 2018 while assisting with plover surveys. When not working, you can find her reading, rock-climbing, or hanging out with her cats and snake.
Scientific Question
Will shallowly flooded ponds or ponds constructed with islands or furrows provide breeding habitat to support sustainable densities of snowy plovers?
Lunch and Learn Science Speaker Series
This presentation is one in a series put forth by the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. The series addresses science and adaptive management done in support of or in collaboration with our Restoration Project as well as relevant outside work. Speakers discuss research, modeling, and monitoring efforts and how Restoration Project managers are using science to inform decisions about restoration, flood risk management, and public access.
Future Lunch and Learn Presentations
You can check the Events Page for later presentations, to register and find info. Future topics include:
- February: Water Quality and Harmful Algal Blooms
- March: Phalaropes
- April: Breeding Waterbirds
