Federal funds directed at restoring rare bird

The St. Louis River Alliance has five-year federal grant to help restore a rare Wisconsin bird in the Twin Ports area.

The piping plover has been spotted on occasion on the shores of Lake Superior, but no nestings have been confirmed in the area in 25 years. The alliance, with a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hopes to change that.

In the coming weeks, crews will erect a mix of posts, cables and wires along 600 feet of shoreline near Superior to keep gulls away from the diminutive shorebird. As the plovers head north from Florida, monitors hired by the River Alliance will keep watch for the rare birds.

The Duluth News Tribune said if the plovers do nest in the area, crews will install mesh cages to keep dogs and other predators away.