SCARBOROUGH (AP) — An effort to balance the rights of dog owners to let their pets roam unleashed on Scarborough’s beaches while protecting piping plovers has led to new regulations.

The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1mF8DOG ) reported that the Town Council on Wednesday approved the new rules.

From April 1 through Labor Day, dogs are either banned or required to be leashed on sections of Higgins, Ferry, Western and Pine Point beaches where plovers have historically nested.

Dogs are banned from May 15 to Labor Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

From the day after Labor Day until May 14, dogs must be leashed on beaches from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The contentious debate was sparked in July when an unleashed dog killed a plover on Pine Point Beach, drawing the ire of federal wildlife officials.