Crows vrs Piping Plovers in the Cape Cod National Seashore

Recently the National Seashore announced a pilot program that will be put in place in the the Duck Harbor/ Bound Brook area in Wellfleet. Utilizing poisoned chicken eggs the program will attempt to "control" the area's crow population that may be feeding on plover eggs. The Seashore has a long standing affinity with programs designed to limit the population of predatory species within the park's boarders, when those predators may encounter nesting populations of the Federally classified threatened Piping Plovers. A Example of such program is the baiting of foxes, raccoons, and coyotes on Monomoy Island in Chatham. As such it is of little surprise that a program to control another predatory species has been planned. However what makes this case different is two factors one is that the targeted population is not an isolated population unlike those of Monomoy Island, and second the programs utilized on Monomoy we initially established while the Plover was officially listed as an endangered species a listing that has been downgraded to threatened. This brings into question the necessity of new predatory control programs at a time when Piping Plover stocks are rebunding, and the differences between an Endangered and Threatened classification. What valuation system is being used to derive the equivalent value of individuals of different species. Just how many crows, foxes, or raccoons is one piping plover worth? May the public examine such a valuation system or is there even one to begin with? Additionally the first open public meeting where the Seashore was to discuss the program was rescheduled within days of its initial announcement and will be held on Feb 25 at 5:30 at the Salt Pond Visitor, Center in Eastham.