Sanderling Plan - Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

Sanderling populations on managed lands. Specific management goals will vary by region and
by site, but should contribute to the overall objective of increasing Sanderling populations.
Range-wide monitoring efforts for Sanderlings need to be coordinated to better inform
conservation strategies and measure success or failure of conservation actions.
Priorities for Sanderling conservation include identifying important habitats for foraging
and roosting, protecting and (where necessary) managing food resources, reducing human
disturbance, and reducing contaminants. General management objectives should include training
land managers to identify shorebirds, manage habitat for Sanderlings, and minimize or prevent
disturbance; and coordinating management among public lands (e.g., impoundments among
states/refuges).
Areas with Sanderling habitat should be prioritized for conservation within each flyway,
region, and state. Disturbance should be reduced and managed through landowner outreach,
visitor management, regulations, and area restrictions/closures (for recreational disturbance such
as Personal WaterCraft and ATV users, beachgoers, dogs), and new regulations should be
created where necessary.
In areas where oil spills are likely (for example, North Atlantic Region), improved oil
spill response is needed—and is attainable by conducting planning and simulations, monitoring
and quantifying habitat and food resources prior to spill (as preparation for quantifying the direct
and indirect effects of spills), and conducting post-spill surveys to accurately quantify spill
damages (Clark and Niles 2000).
Other types of contaminants should be reduced as well. In the case of dredged materials,
improved dredging practices that address placement and quality of dredged material is needed
(Clark and Niles 2000). In addition, the reduction of agricultural chemicals throughout the range
would potentially improve the long-term viability of this species and many others.
And finally, structural modifications that are likely to be put into place as beaches erode
or as sea level rises need to be considered in terms of their potential impact on the Sanderling
and other coastal species (e.g., beach re-nourishment projects).
Region-specific
Regional objectives and priorities for shorebirds are outlined in Regional Shorebird
Conservation Plans and Joint Venture Plans. Regional Plans are available for Alaska, Northern
WHSRN – Sanderling Conservation Plan, February 2010, v1.1 55