Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers:
40 Years on the Road to Recovery

Illustrated talk on the fascinating ecology and behavior of one of our most notable local shorebird species. Presented virtually April 26, 2026 by wildlife biologist, Maureen Durkin. Hosted by HLFM director Pierce Rafferty.

Piping plovers have been the focus of intensive conservation efforts since their listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. This is an opportunity to learn about the strides made toward recovery in the last four decades, current management strategies, and the challenges still facing the piping plover across its range. Hear all about this charismatic little bird, their delicate coastal habitat, and how you can help share our beaches.

Maureen Durkin with juvenile oystercatcher

Maureen Durkin is a Rhode Island-based Wildlife Biologist specializing in coastal birds and management of threatened and endangered species. She received her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College, where she had some of her formative academic experiences in ecology in and around Long Island Sound. Maureen became fascinated by shorebirds while working field technician jobs around the Gulf of Mexico after college. She went on to receive her M.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, conducting her research on the impacts of recreational disturbance to snowy plovers in the Florida Panhandle. She continued working in Florida for several more years through SUNY-ESF, partnering with the National Park Service to conduct research to understand mortality risks and inform management of nesting shorebirds and terns. Maureen returned to New England in 2019, as a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Rhode Island. She oversees the monitoring and management of piping plovers, least terns, and American oystercatchers across southern Rhode Island, and works on a variety of projects related to coastal wildlife management. She also serves as the Piping Plover Recovery Lead for USFWS.