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News
Join Dowling College′s Long Island Horseshoe Crab Network Track Population of Essential Animal
Help Preserve Critical Species
OAKDALE, NY – In an effort to protect a species that has survived the mass extinction of dinosaurs, the Long Island Horseshoe Crab Network, headed by Dr. John T. Tanacredi, Chairman of the Department of Earth and Marine sciences at Dowling College, will conduct the eighth year of an inventory of Horseshoe Crabs (HSC) at 64 sites on Long Island from the tip of Montauk to the tip of Brooklyn. All volunteer Beach Captains and other interested in assisting in the 2010 Dowling College HSC Count Long Island should attend one of the two orientation sessions to be held Friday, May 7th at the new Dowling College C.E.E.C.O.M. @ Blue Points facility in West Sayville. Sessions will run from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
As noted in Dr. Tanacredi's 2009 new book "Biology and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs" by Springer Ltd. Publishers, horseshoe crabs around the world face a set of common and growing threats including over fishing, habitat loss and alteration, and pollution. This animal is essential for many reasons. They provide a chemical, LAL, that is used in hospitals to detect bacterial contamination. Also, the eggs of horseshoe crabs feed millions of migrating shore birds each year, including ones that may be on the verge of endangerment such as the Red Knot.
"Over the last 15 years there has been considerable controversy over the extent to which horseshoe crab harvesting has impacted the species' existence," explained Dr. Tanacredi. "It is general knowledge that North American HSC habitat extends from the coast of Maine to Florida in the U.S. and to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, with Long Island historically having a robust population of HSCs. Anecdotal information from "coast-wise" people have recently expressed concerns that once large numbers of HSCs observed each year, are today a mere skeletal population." Dr. Tanacredi's 2009 book on Horseshoe Crab conservation revealed this to be a global phenomenon.
The Dowling College Long Island HSC Network invites anyone to join in and help protect a species over 450 million years in the making. There are 64 beaches identified in the Dowling College Long Island Survey and they all need to be surveyed over several days from JUNE 12th - 26th and JULY 12th - 26th on Full and New Moons and at High Tides. The list of beach sites and anyone interested in volunteering to be a "Beach Captain" can call Dr. Tanacredi at 631-244-3394 for more information and directions to C.E.E.C.O.M. Anyone sighting live horseshoe crabs is asked to provide details and photos (if possible) via an easy to complete online field report form at www.hscli.org.
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at
its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre
Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk
border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several
disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
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