Biologists estimate 5,600 piping plovers remain. The problem of critical habitat should have been hashed out back in 1986, when the government listed the bird as endangered. But the wildlife service missed its own deadline by 13 years and counting. An environmental group, Defenders of Wildlife, finally sued over the delay, and a federal court ordered the wildlife service to set aside land no later than April 30, 2001. Padre Island's main drag is a jumble of hotels, surf shops and dune buggy rental places.
Tourism is virtually the only industry.
Islanders fear the government will interfere with the continued building of restaurants, roads and resorts. But the Endangered Species Act gives the government fairly broad power over land designated critical to a species' habitat. And property values tend to drop near critical habitat, the wildlife service acknowledges. On the Florida tourist mecca Marco Island, residents have written 4,000 letters imploring the government to change its mind. People come here to enjoy the flora and the fauna.