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.
BBC Massachusetts Big Day – May 9, 2026
BBC Massachusetts Big Day - May 9, 2026 On May 18, 1974 Bob Stymiest led the BBC trip with the all time largest species count for the club - 162 birds seen during 20 hours
May 5 Webinar – Rescue Wildlife from Rodenticides
May 5 Webinar Open to All with Heather Packard, Mass Audubon - Rescue Wildlife from Rodenticides Please join the BBC on the evening of Tuesday, May 5 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a webinar with
April 28 Webinar – Wood-Warblers of New England
April 28 Webinar with Bill Gette - Wood-Warblers of New England Please join the BBC on the evening of April 28 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a members-only webinar with Bill Gette entitled Wood-Warblers of
April 24 Annual Members Meeting & Lecture – All Welcome
April 24 Annual Members Meeting & Lecture - All Welcome Please join us on April 24 for our Annual Members Meeting. The evening begins with a social hour at 6:30. The program starts at 7:30
4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation
4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation Upcoming Webinar Please join the BBC on April 19 at 7PM for a webinar open to all with Manomet Conservation Sciences staff and collaborators - Actions to Promote the
Conservation Alert – 2026 Horseshoe Crab Quotas
Conservation Alert - 2026 Horseshoe Crab Quotas - UPDATE Red knots feeding amongst spawning horseshoe crabs. The public comment period has been extended to March 6 and a second public hearing will take place on
BBC Massachusetts Big Day – May 9, 2026
BBC Massachusetts Big Day - May 9, 2026 On May 18, 1974 Bob Stymiest led the BBC trip with the all time largest species count for the club - 162 birds seen during 20 hours
May 5 Webinar – Rescue Wildlife from Rodenticides
May 5 Webinar Open to All with Heather Packard, Mass Audubon - Rescue Wildlife from Rodenticides Please join the BBC on the evening of Tuesday, May 5 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a webinar with
April 28 Webinar – Wood-Warblers of New England
April 28 Webinar with Bill Gette - Wood-Warblers of New England Please join the BBC on the evening of April 28 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a members-only webinar with Bill Gette entitled Wood-Warblers of
April 24 Annual Members Meeting & Lecture – All Welcome
April 24 Annual Members Meeting & Lecture - All Welcome Please join us on April 24 for our Annual Members Meeting. The evening begins with a social hour at 6:30. The program starts at 7:30
4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation
4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation Upcoming Webinar Please join the BBC on April 19 at 7PM for a webinar open to all with Manomet Conservation Sciences staff and collaborators - Actions to Promote the
Conservation Alert – 2026 Horseshoe Crab Quotas
Conservation Alert - 2026 Horseshoe Crab Quotas - UPDATE Red knots feeding amongst spawning horseshoe crabs. The public comment period has been extended to March 6 and a second public hearing will take place on
BBC Massachusetts Big Day – May 9, 2026
BBC Massachusetts Big Day - May 9, 2026 On May 18, 1974 Bob Stymiest led the BBC trip with the all time largest species count for the club - 162 birds seen during 20 hours
May 5 Webinar – Rescue Wildlife from Rodenticides
May 5 Webinar Open to All with Heather Packard, Mass Audubon - Rescue Wildlife from Rodenticides Please join the BBC on the evening of Tuesday, May 5 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a webinar with
April 28 Webinar – Wood-Warblers of New England
April 28 Webinar with Bill Gette - Wood-Warblers of New England Please join the BBC on the evening of April 28 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a members-only webinar with Bill Gette entitled Wood-Warblers of
April 24 Annual Members Meeting & Lecture – All Welcome
April 24 Annual Members Meeting & Lecture - All Welcome Please join us on April 24 for our Annual Members Meeting. The evening begins with a social hour at 6:30. The program starts at 7:30
4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation
4/19 Tawny-Throated Dotterel Webinar & Donation Upcoming Webinar Please join the BBC on April 19 at 7PM for a webinar open to all with Manomet Conservation Sciences staff and collaborators - Actions to Promote the
Conservation Alert – 2026 Horseshoe Crab Quotas
Conservation Alert - 2026 Horseshoe Crab Quotas - UPDATE Red knots feeding amongst spawning horseshoe crabs. The public comment period has been extended to March 6 and a second public hearing will take place on
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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Bring Back Boblinks: Bobolinks at Daniel Webster, Marshfield
Marshfield - Daniel Webster MAS Wildlife Sanctuary 169 Winslow Cemetery Rd, Marshfield, MA, United StatesPart of our Bring Back Boblinks conservation series. Walk among open fields where we are likely to see and hear bobolinks, Our early start increases the likelihood that we will hear the bobolinks’ burbling morning song. Be prepared for muddy trails, depending on recent rainfall. Trails are mostly flat.
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Bring Back Bobolinks: Norfolk Airport (New!)
Adding to our Bobolink conservation series. Observe and appreciate Bobolinks in breeding habitat! Bobolinks are nesting throughout the airport. We will walk the runways less than 2 miles walking total. This area is all grasslands, around 400 acres.
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Belle Isle Marsh Reservation – Winthrop Side
Winthrop - Belle Isle March and Marine Ecology Park Banks Street, Winthrop, MA, United StatesJoint with Mass Audubon BNC. Join us to observe resident birds and spring migrants in a unique urban habitat that is a favorite for many bird species, including uncommon and rare flycatchers, swallows & warblers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this walk. The trails are generally flat and easy to walk. A water bottle,
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Bring Back Bobolinks: Bobolink Walk at Appleton Farms Ipswich with the Grasslands Survey Team (New!)
Ipswich - Appleton Farms paid parking, free for TTOR members 219 County Road, Ipswich, MA, United StatesNew addition to our Bring Back Bobolinks conservation series. Rani date July 2 - check with leader in case of rain. Join new BBC members and Trustees Grassland Birds Monitoring Project volunteers Andy and Tina Haubert on their regular survey at this well known location for breeding and nesting Bobolinks. We’ll observe field marks, song,
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Quabbin Reservoir
Quabbin Reservoir - Gate 10 235 Daniel Shays Hwy, Pelham, MA, United StatesJoin Glenn on a 5-to-6-mile walk through a very birdy area with species ranging from Broad-winged Hawk to Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, and lots of stuff in between. (Maybe a moose or a bobcat!) Co-sponsored with the South Shore Bird Club.