The threats from human activity along with the rapid decline in its habitat, particularly nesting habitat on the Great Lakes and Atlantic Coast beaches and on Missouri River and Platte River sandbars, led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1985 to list the piping plover as threatened throughout its range except for the Great Lakes, where it was listed as endangered. The plover has lost its breeding habitat to recreational and commercial development and dune stabilization along the Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes and to damming and channelization of rivers in the Great Plains region. Wintering habitat has also been lost to coastal development and beach stabilization efforts. In addition, like breeding habitat, wintering habitat is threatened by recreational activities, including driving off-road vehicles on the beach, development and potential oil spills. While overall population numbers appear to be on the rise, mainly because breeding birds in New England have been carefully protected, the number of birds breeding on the Great Plains, the largest population, continues to decline.
Habitat loss is a persistent threat.
Until shoreline development pressure decreases along the coasts of both the Atlantic and Great Lakes, it will be difficult to maintain the gains the piping plover has made.