Watch For Restricted Areas on Missouri River and Reservoirs

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would like to remind the recreating public about signs they place on Lake Sakakawea and the Missouri River that warn people about piping plover and least tern nesting areas. These two threatened and endangered shorebirds typically use sparsely vegetated sandbars, islands and beaches where they lay camouflaged eggs in a shallow depression.


With Lake Sakakawea’s rising water levels some of these rare birds have been forced to nest up in the vegetation. Signs are placed on sandbars and along the shorelines to alert the public to avoid these areas. One additional item of concern is the family pet. If people are recreating with their dogs, their pets need to stay out of these areas as well.


When recreating on the lake or river in an area that is not signed the Corps urges people to be observant and respectful of sharing the shoreline. If you beach your boat or enter an area where a bird is pretending to have a broken wing, it could be a killdeer or the threatened piping plover. The bird is trying to protect their nest and the public is urged to move to a different area.


If you are in an area where birds are trying to dive bomb you, this is textbook behavior of both the common tern and the least tern, the latter of which is an endangered species. Please relocate to a different area. There is plenty of room for all of us to enjoy the natural beauty of summer in North Dakota together.