Long Island Horseshoe Crab Network Tracks Population of Essential Animal
 
(Oakdale, N.Y.) In an effort to protect a species that has survived the mass distinction 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 seventh 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 interested volunteers should attend one of two orientation sessions to be held Friday, May 1st at the new Dowling College C.E.E.C.O.M. Center @ Blue Points facility in West Sayville from 10:00 a.m. to noon and 2:00-4:00 p.m.  Please call Dr. Tanacredi at 631-244-3394 for directions.
 
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 migrating shore birds, including ones that may also be on the verge of being endangered such as the Red Knot.
 
“Over the last dozen 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.”
 
The Dowling College Long Island HSC Network invites everyone to join in and help protect a species over 450 million years in the making.  There are 64 beaches identified to be surveyed over several days in JUNE (7th, 22nd) and JULY (7th, 22nd) on Full 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 a live horseshoe crab is asked to provide details and photos 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.