FEMA External Affairs DR-1852-ME Video transcript -- THE OGUNQUIT PIPING PLOVERS - A SUCCESS STORY Duration: 03:16 INTRO SLIDE: In April of 2007, severe storms damaged a piping plover nesting habitat in Ogunquit, Maine. Two years later, the stakeholders gathered to celebrate the completion of the project. Video: People walk to beach. Ocean waves. Bob Bohlmann, Emergency Management Director, York County, Maine: Ogunquit Beach is one of the larger tourist attractions in southern Maine. During the summer, on any given day, it's just packed with people from all over the country. Photo of destroyed home along beach. Bob Bohlmann: During the major storm that we had, the dunes on Ogunquit Beach, the sand was completely taken out. And fairly well destroyed the beautiful beach that we had down there. Video: photo of piping plover Bob Bohlmann: That's a nesting area, one of the few along the coastline for the protected piping plover that Maine has. Video: beach dunes Bob Bohlmann: And they wanted to restore the beach to the natural beauty it was before. VIDEO: Woman from Audubon society views the shoreline with binoculars. Another close-up picture of piping plover on sand. View of two people sitting on beach chairs, looking out toward the ocean. OGUNQUIT TOWN MANAGER TOM FORTIER: The Inland Fisheries and Wildlife were trying to protect an endangered species -- piping plovers, whereas the town of Ogunquit was trying to protect their tourist dollars and beachgoers and visitors. VIDEO: Picture of white and grey piping plover on the sand. View of group (town and federal officials) standing on beach. Video: People from various agencies meet in parking lot, shake hands. They walk over bridge to beach. Bob Bohlmann: You have the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, you have the state DEP that gets involved, of course you've got FEMA, and the community and they all have standards to meet and not always do those standards cross. VIDEO: Group continues to walk along the beach. On Camera: Tom Fortier. TOM FORTIER: Well, you know it���s really easy to pull and tug at each other. We all have special interests and we���re all trying to protect our own mission. VIDEO: People walk down steps toward the beach. Shot of the beach surf. Picture of piping plover on sand. Bob Bohlmann: So that's where we had to come together and come upon a good solution that would fix it. VIDEO: Low shot of group walking along beach. New shot of group convened at beach. On camera: Tom Fortier. TOM FORTIER: We had a wonderful meeting with all the various institutions and agencies such as Maine Audubon, the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, town government, FEMA, the Department of Conservation, and our goal was basically to celebrate the success of this past year. VIDEO: Back view of two lifeguards sitting on top a high post. Close shot of a sign for water temperatures and tide conditions. Picture of piping plover holding a worm in its beak. Bob Bohlman, Emergency Management Director, York County, on camera:It doesn't happen overnight, when you bring them in like that in different groups you have several meetings and a number of solutions and then decide on one that will work. VIDEO: People on the beach listen. TOM FORTIER: So today, we went out on the beach and we viewed some of those success stories such as the re-growth of natural habitat and natural beach area and to view the fencing that was funded by FEMA. VIDEO: More shots of the sand dune and a restricted area sign. Mark McCollough, from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, gives information about the piping plover. More pictures of the piping plover on the beach. MARK MCCOLLOUGH: That���s where the piping plovers like to feed. So it���s been really great this year to have a pair come back and be as productive as it has; they���ve produced three chicks. TOM FORTIER: Like any successful endevor you need volunteers. Laura was a good example of a volunteer who spent a lot of time and effort educating the public. VIDEO: Piping Plover Project Coordinator Laura Jaquays talks to group. LAURA JAQUAYS: Hopefully we���ll have other birds that we can be looking at, as well as the piping plovers, which they���re feeding in the little grass and rack right now. There���s lots of birds I haven���t seen here for a long time. VIDEO: Beach. Photo of piping plovers. VIDEO: Ogunquit Selectman Michael Score speaks. Family walks on the beach. MICHAEL SCORE: Certainly, if we have a certain part of the population such as bird watchers, and we can meet that need for them. How wonderful is that, to add another component to the beauty of Ogunquit? VIDEO: Shot of group convened at beach. Panning shot of sky and the wide beach, ending with a shot of woman from the Audubon society. TOM FORTIER: I thought it was important to get together and to celebrate our success. Cause it would have been very, very easy to accept funding from FEMA, for example, and say ���thank you��� and then just move on. But we wanted you to come back and see the results of your funding. VIDEO: Group walks along sand. Bob Bohlmann: It was a huge success because we have the beach back, the natural dune grass growing, and the piping plovers nesting. CLOSING VIDEO: Picture of the piping plover on the sand. FINAL SLATE: Visit www.fema.gov for more information.