Interested in taking action to protect horseshoe crabs in Massachusetts? Migrating shorebirds depend on their eggs for critical migration fuel and there are multiple ways you can get involved as a concerned citizen:
Take action today!
– Share comments on a current proposal to list the Horseshoe Crab as a Species of Special Concern
Comments are due by April 23rd at 5pm and may be sent via email to susan.sacco@mass.gov to the attention of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board
– Participate in the proposal to close Plymouth, Kingston, and Duxbury Bays to the Horseshoe Crab Take
Contact the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance (contact: Sharl Heller)
Ways to get involved:
– Massachusetts Horseshoe Crab Collaborative
Visit their website to learn more and join over 2,000 Massachusetts residents who have gone on record as wanting an end to taking horseshoe crabs for bait, even as they come ashore to spawn. Also visit their facebook page or contact Sharl Heller at the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance.
– Manomet
See their website and examples of their critical work with horseshoe crabs. Volunteer, make a donation, and more.
– Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition
Visit their website to learn more and take action.
Resources to learn more: (curated by the MA Horseshoe Crab Collaborative)
– When the Horseshoe Crabs are Gone, We’ll Be in Trouble. Deborah Cramer, The New York Times.
– Horseshoe crabs have roamed the planet for 450 million years, but they could be running out of time, Renée Loth, Boston Globe.
– The Horseshoe Crab Saved Us. Can We Save the Horseshoe Crab? I am BIO Podcast.
– Connecticut’s 2023 elimination of horseshoe crab commercial harvests and Governor Lamont’s call for neighboring states “to join this growing coalition and enact similar laws to protect the population in their waters.”
– Fishermen capturing spawning horseshoe crabs—Horseshoe Crab Capture: Video by Raymond MacDonald.
Upcoming: Extreme Pelagic Trip Aboard the Helen H.
Saturday–Sunday, September 21–22 6:00 a.m. Saturday–6:00 p.m. Sunday From Hyannis to Hydrographer Canyon area with expert guides. Birds expected: White-Faced Storm Petrels, several species of shearwaters, jaegers, gannets, gulls, terns, and several species of marine
2019-20 FEDERAL DUCK STAMPS ON SALE NOW!
The BBC is again selling the Federal Migratory Bird Conservation and Hunting Stamp. We are doing this in support of the National Wildlife Refuge System and to support conservation of federal lands. Ninety-eight cents of every
Upcoming Workshop: Shorebirds with Wayne Petersen
Wednesday, July 31, 6:30–8:45 p.m. in Woburn, MA Limited to 100 participants With their diverse adaptations, varied habitats, marvelous migrations, and often confusing plumages, shorebirds are a perennial favorite among birders in New England. More
Mount Auburn brings out the Birders
Huge numbers of birders on the BBC trip at Mount Auburn Cemetery recently. There are trips every day until the latter part of May.
Noah Strycker: Birding Without Borders and his World Big Year
200 enthusiastic birders attended Noah Strycker's talk at our April 11th annual general meeting at Harvard University's Geological Lecture Hall in Cambridge. Following refreshments, membership sign-ups and renewals, and palpable energy building as our northeast
Citizen Science Opportunities – Your Efforts Make a Difference
Spring offers some excellent opportunities for BBC members to get involved in citizen science projects. This spring, as in past years, the BBC is offering a "conservation series" of field trips that target species on
Upcoming: Extreme Pelagic Trip Aboard the Helen H.
Saturday–Sunday, September 21–22 6:00 a.m. Saturday–6:00 p.m. Sunday From Hyannis to Hydrographer Canyon area with expert guides. Birds expected: White-Faced Storm Petrels, several species of shearwaters, jaegers, gannets, gulls, terns, and several species of marine
2019-20 FEDERAL DUCK STAMPS ON SALE NOW!
The BBC is again selling the Federal Migratory Bird Conservation and Hunting Stamp. We are doing this in support of the National Wildlife Refuge System and to support conservation of federal lands. Ninety-eight cents of every
Upcoming Workshop: Shorebirds with Wayne Petersen
Wednesday, July 31, 6:30–8:45 p.m. in Woburn, MA Limited to 100 participants With their diverse adaptations, varied habitats, marvelous migrations, and often confusing plumages, shorebirds are a perennial favorite among birders in New England. More
Mount Auburn brings out the Birders
Huge numbers of birders on the BBC trip at Mount Auburn Cemetery recently. There are trips every day until the latter part of May.
Noah Strycker: Birding Without Borders and his World Big Year
200 enthusiastic birders attended Noah Strycker's talk at our April 11th annual general meeting at Harvard University's Geological Lecture Hall in Cambridge. Following refreshments, membership sign-ups and renewals, and palpable energy building as our northeast
Citizen Science Opportunities – Your Efforts Make a Difference
Spring offers some excellent opportunities for BBC members to get involved in citizen science projects. This spring, as in past years, the BBC is offering a "conservation series" of field trips that target species on
Upcoming: Extreme Pelagic Trip Aboard the Helen H.
Saturday–Sunday, September 21–22 6:00 a.m. Saturday–6:00 p.m. Sunday From Hyannis to Hydrographer Canyon area with expert guides. Birds expected: White-Faced Storm Petrels, several species of shearwaters, jaegers, gannets, gulls, terns, and several species of marine
2019-20 FEDERAL DUCK STAMPS ON SALE NOW!
The BBC is again selling the Federal Migratory Bird Conservation and Hunting Stamp. We are doing this in support of the National Wildlife Refuge System and to support conservation of federal lands. Ninety-eight cents of every
Upcoming Workshop: Shorebirds with Wayne Petersen
Wednesday, July 31, 6:30–8:45 p.m. in Woburn, MA Limited to 100 participants With their diverse adaptations, varied habitats, marvelous migrations, and often confusing plumages, shorebirds are a perennial favorite among birders in New England. More
Mount Auburn brings out the Birders
Huge numbers of birders on the BBC trip at Mount Auburn Cemetery recently. There are trips every day until the latter part of May.
Noah Strycker: Birding Without Borders and his World Big Year
200 enthusiastic birders attended Noah Strycker's talk at our April 11th annual general meeting at Harvard University's Geological Lecture Hall in Cambridge. Following refreshments, membership sign-ups and renewals, and palpable energy building as our northeast
Citizen Science Opportunities – Your Efforts Make a Difference
Spring offers some excellent opportunities for BBC members to get involved in citizen science projects. This spring, as in past years, the BBC is offering a "conservation series" of field trips that target species on
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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The Quiet Beauty of birding – Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation
Lynn - Red Rock Park 188 Lynn Shore Drive, Lynn, MA, United StatesOffered by DCR. Come join us for an up-close look at sea ducks and gulls in action! Observe, share your insights, ask questions, and connect with fellow bird enthusiasts. For adults & children 8+. Children must be with an adult. ADA/Reasonable Accommodation 617-645-0358 | Moneesha.dasgupta2@mass.gov
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Belle Isle Marsh and Vicinity
East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United StatesLed by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile, on flat, easy terrain for snowy owls and other raptors, native sparrows, finches, waterfowl, and other birds. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with adult chaperone. Binoculars recommended. ADA/Reasonable Accommodations
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Deer Island & Boston Harbor, Winthrop (RESCHEDULED to Sunday 2/15)
Winthrop - Deer Island Parking Lot 180 Tafts Ave., Winthrop, MA, United StatesRecheduled to Sunday 2/15 due to cold and gusting winds.
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BBC Winter Meeting February 7 – Social Hour, Used Book Sale & Norman Smith!
Bedford - John Glenn Middle School 99 McMahon Road, Bedford, MA, United StatesMark your calendar for Saturday, February 7 at 2PM for the BBC’s annual in-person Winter Meeting featuring a social hour with refreshments, our popular used bird book sale table, and our speaker Norman Smith, Director of the Snowy Owl Project. The Winter Meeting is free and open to all. There is plenty of free parking.
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CC Canal and Sandwich hotspots (RESCHEDULED to Friday 2/20)
Sagamore - Scusset Beach Pier Parking Lot MA, United StatesRescheduled to Friday 2/20 due to theweather and considtions at the locations.