State wildlife officials are asking the public to share the sandy shores of Lake McConaughy in western Nebraska with endangered birds.

Visitors to Nebraska’s largest lake are being asked to be mindful of nesting interior least terns and piping plovers, which are currently raising their young.

Visitors are asked to not enter marked or fenced-off nesting areas, to obey all signs and to keep all pets on leashes.

Interior least terns and piping plovers are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act and the Nebraska Nongame and Endangered Species Act. Anyone convicted of killing, harming, disturbing or harassing the birds, or allowing their pets to do so, face up to a $100,000 fine and a year in jail.