USFWS was going to just list the  plover,  due to a census of 100+- birds on Oregon and Washington coasts.  There were interior birds living on the fringes of alkaline lakes in SE Oregon.  And a more robust population in CA,  a preponderance using the margins of south SF Bay salt evaporation ponds which were scheduled for abandonment.  No hearings,  no public meeting,  just a bureaucratic process in Sacramento.  I petitioned,  as allowed in the law,  to have a hearing at Hatfield Marine Science Center.  From that came the input about Oregon's beach being public, the threats from beach grass and predators,  plus innocent  human depredation with dogs off the leash on breeding beaches.  Recreationists had to be a part of the solution,  with no immunity to being part of the problem.  Now that there are six times the number of birds,  the plover recovery has been a rewarding process for Oregonians.  The beaches are still public and only seasonally restricted for plovers,  on short sections.