Islands are important breeding sites for Piping Plovers. Quality breeding habitat for Piping Plovers is still available on the Great Lakes islands. These areas support fewer predator species than mainland sites and have low levels of human disturbance. This is important because disturbance due to human activity has been shown to decrease reproductive success of Piping Plovers nesting along the Atlantic coast. Beach areas on the Manitou islands, Beaver Island, and High Island have been closed to human use during the Piping Plover breeding season for the past several years. Despite these factors and high hatching success of island plovers, recruitment into the Great Lakes Piping Plover population continues to decline. Piping Plover management in the Great Lakes must include alternate techniques in addition to habitat and nest protection if this population is to survive.