Part of Oceano Dunes to close to protect snowy plover population

OCEANO, Calif. -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California State Parks will close part of the Oceano Dunes on Thursday to protect the snowy plover population.

On Wednesday, the two agencies announced that they will close part of the Oceano Dunes shoreline south of Post 4.5. The shoreline will be closed to all public activity including cars, camping and pedestrians.

This is all in an effort to protect the nests and chicks of the western snowy plover in the foredune restoration area.

The temporary closure will remain in effect until no nests nor chicks are found in the area.

According to California State Parks there are less than 2,000 breeding plovers in the Pacific coast region.

They are considered near "near threatened" due to a loss of habitat and disturbances due to development, recreation, and other human activities.

For more information on the snowy plovers, click here.