Coal Oil Point Reserve: A Radio Documentary

The KCSB News and Public Affairs department presents a radio documentary, Coal Oil Point Reserve: Plovers, Plants, and Preservation at UCSB. KCSB Reporter Jordan Katz produced this in-depth look at restoration efforts on the 170-acre property located within UCSB’s west campus. * Reserve scientists and volunteers have been successful in many restoration projects, but their most notable achievement is rescuing the Western Snowy Plover from near-extinction. * These tiny shorebirds are thriving at Sands Beach through a program of public education, scientific study, and docent surveillance against human and wildlife predators.

PloversCoalOilPoint [27:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (75)

Post Published: 05 June 2008
Author: News Director
Found in section: News

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4 Responses to “Coal Oil Point Reserve: A Radio Documentary”

M. C. G. says:

June 7, 2008 at 7:49 pm

Not extinction. These plovers are genetically identical to the hundreds of thousands of Western Snowy Plovers. This population lives at this location, but they are the same damn birds as thrive in many areas. Why they have the right to displace local human residents, with their fierce and self-righteous docents ready to cal law enforcement if one crosses their arbitrary line, is a mystery. Should we evacuate Isla Vista so more native plants and animals can live here?
David Pritchett says:

June 9, 2008 at 11:55 am

Nice try from the anonymous MCG… that question of all-these-plovers-are-the-same has been tested and failed legally.

While some people like you have no hesitation to play God and extirpate endangered bird species, others of us actually respect All Creation and see ourselves as stewards and custodians of all creatures great and small.

Enough beach already is thrashed with no sensitive birds present any more, so why not keep hammering those places and let these birds live their lives in their tiny territory at Coal Oil Point free from the likes of you!?!?
B. R. C. says:

June 15, 2008 at 11:14 am

Thank you, David. The Western Snowy Plover is protected under federal and state laws as an endangered species.

If any creature, MCG, is displacing another it is we humans displacing almost all wild creatures. The exceptions are those who’ve adapted to our habits of leaving trash about, rats, pigeons, and other still wild but habituated creatures.

Since it is a “mystery” to you why the Western Snowy Plovers are protected you might want to take a look at http://www.westernsnowyplover.org/ for background, protection efforts all along the western US coast and the reasons for doing so.
dude says:

March 31, 2009 at 11:56 am

In my opinion, the docents out at the point are being much too stringent. Even if you are outside the fenced area, and you put you bags and stuff on the beach OUTSIDE the fenced area, they come over and threaten you.

Many docents harrass people over nothing they can enforce. Even knowing that they couldn’t do anything except harrass, I was nice and put my stuff near the waterline where the cop said I could. Even after that, I was still harrassed by the same idiot, power-tripping docent. In addition, there were people a little further down the beach that were doing the same thing, and they didn’t recieve any complaints. WTF?

I agree that we should have areas roped off there, and dogs need to have a leash, that matters. But when docents start abusing thier authority, thats when it pisses me off.