Plover power.

Byline: The Register-Guard

For a shorebird that stands all of 6 inches tall and weighs less than 2 feathery ounces, the Western snowy plover packs a mighty wallop.

Under new rules proposed by the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, state officials would close fully a fourth of the sandy beaches on the Oregon Coast to dogs, campfires and driving during the spring and summer months when plovers nest. Along half of those stretches, seemingly innocuous activities ranging from kite flying to bicycle riding, which biologists believe can scare plovers and disrupt their nesting, also would be banned.

For Oregonians who dearly love their beaches and historically have fought any efforts to limit access, the proposed rules are a rude awakening. Many who might normally support environmental regulations that restrict the timber or fishing industries are alarmed to learn that this time it's their recreational activities that are affected.

State officials have no choice but to respond to the plight of coastal plovers, which have been protected under the federal Endangered Species Act since 1993 and the state version of the same law since 1987.

Once plentiful, snowy plovers have been nearly wiped out by development, traffic, invasive grasses and predation by dogs, cats, foxes, ravens and skunks. Fewer than 2,000 survive along the West Coast. Oregon's coastal plover population has declined to a mere 100 adults - one-third the count of three decades ago.

If the state fails to take new steps to protect the plovers, it could be sued for unlawful "taking" of a protected species. Far more impor- tantly, the very survival of these beautiful, vulnerable creatures is at risk.

Yet the new rules have an unprecedented breadth and scope. If enacted in their current form, they will be by far the most stringent limits ever imposed on the use of this state's coastal beaches.

Oregon officials are seeking public comment on the new rules, which will affect both remote, little-used beaches and many that are popular, high-traffic recreation sites. Mike Carrier, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, says the rules represent "an optimum strategy for the plover" that will be modified to reflect "the public's need to continue recreating and what's practical."

Those are encouraging words, both for Oregonians who value beach access and for the future of the plovers. While this delicate bird must be protected for future generations, a lack of flexibility and balance on the part of state officials might produce a public - and legal - backlash that could complicate and delay plover recovery efforts.

In California, similar restrictions have been imposed at state beaches and prompted lawsuits aimed at both removing the limits and even the plover's endangered status. Last year, Coos County commissioners prevailed in a lawsuit that forced the federal government to reconsider economic impacts of critical habitat protections for plovers.

Oregonians should be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure the survival of the plovers. But state officials must also make certain that they strike a reasonable balance between recreation and wildlife.