A friend and I visited Coal Oil Point Reserve in Isla Vista last year to go lay out on the beach. As we spread out our towels, I noticed large areas were fenced off, and I wondered why so much of the beach seemed inaccessible for visitors.

In short order, a person came over and told us that we were lying in a habitat for Snowy Plover birds. We gladly moved so we wouldn’t disturb them in their natural environment. That person was a docent with the UC Santa Barbara Snowy Plover Program, which is run by the UCSB Natural Reserve System.

As a student in UCSB’s Sociology program with a specialization in the environment, this sparked my interest. All the Environmental Sociology classes I have taken stress the importance of human involvement in environmental-based issues. They examine how social and environmental elements interact to influence society as a whole. The docent program encourages students to participate in conservation efforts in the real world — with the snowy plover species.

In the late 1960s, snowy plovers abandoned their usual nesting site at Coal Oil Point Reserve due to human disturbance. The university’s reserve system created the Snowy Plover Docent Program in 2001 to educate visitors on the importance of protecting this endangered species. It offered UC Santa Barbara students the opportunity to volunteer and promote a healthy habitat for the plovers. Since then,  snowy plovers have reestablished their nesting grounds at the oil reserve.

Snowy plover photo courtesy of UC Natural Reserve System

At meeting this past fall, the docent program taught volunteers how to help protect the snowy plover species at Coal Oil Point Reserve. Snowy plover docents undergo comprehensive training and commit to a weekly shift that involves educating visitors and recording basic data. The training to become a docent is a six-hour sequence, split up into three segments: a tour of the Coal Oil Point Reserve, docent training, and an online training, which helps them to understand the snowy plover species and its habitat in local Santa Barbara beaches.

Volunteers also collaborate with plover programs in other areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. They are also eligible for reduced rates and travel accommodations to reserves within the UC System.

As a UC Santa Barbara student, I frequently attend the local beaches, including Sands Beach where the snowy plovers live. Some of the things visitors can do to protect the plovers are:

➢   Keep dogs on a leash to prevent them from scaring away the birds

➢   Stay out of the labeled “No Trespassing” fenced areas meant for the plover habitat

➢   Don’t leave food or trash because it may attract predators

➢   If a plover is seen on a beach, visitors should walk away slowly and remain at a distance

➢   Play recreational activities at other beaches such as IV Beach or Ellwood

Those interested can follow along the snowy plover journey on the Coal Oil Point Reserve Instagram page, or get involved by becoming a docent. On the Coal Oil Point Reserve website you can learn more about the snowy plover conservation as well as ways to volunteer or learn more about the Docent Program. I have found that expanding awareness and appreciation for local natural areas, and being involved in local conservation issues to be rewarding.

Molly Murphy is a third-year Sociology major and Applied Psychology minor at UCSB. She wrote this article for her Writing Program course Digital Journalism.