Piping plovers are small shorebirds that nest on sandy, vegetation-free beaches. Human intrusion, storm tides, and predators frequently destroy nests. Nesting adults are counted and in most cases protected every spring by the DEP and volunteers working with The Nature Conservancy. The piping plover's status is "threatened ". The protections afforded these plovers also benefit other nesting species, including least terns, which are also threatened in Connecticut. Since protection and monitoring efforts began in 1984, nesting success has improved, resulting in more returning adults in subsequent years. Yearly variations can occur when adult birds move from one state to another. Diminishing habitat and more disturbances are forcing many birds to nest within the vegetation zone and below the storm tide line where predation and washout took a toll in 2002. Pairs tried five new locations in 2006 and used two of those again in 2007 along with a new site in Old Lyme.