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.
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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Horn Pond
Woburn - Horn Pond - Sturgis St 98 Sturgis St, Woburn, MA, United StatesHorn Pond is always a great place to bird. We’ll explore the main trails and ponds and the adjacent community garden.
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Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge
Mount Auburn Cemetery 536 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA, United StatesLate fall is often a time of year for fall lingerers, early winter arrivals, and a surprise or two. Join us for a 2-mile walk around Mount Auburn over rolling terrain. Please note: Two Emerson College students will film during the walk for a class project. They are producing a documentary on birding. Restrooms available. [...]
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Boston – Franklin Park – Scarboro Pond
Boston - Franklin Park Tennis Courts (Meeting Spot) MA, United StatesHalloween Bird Walk! Costumes welcomed and encouraged. We will look for late fall migrants and new winter arrivals in Franklin Park. Beginners, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled people, kids and families welcomed and encouraged. Expect to walk up to 2 miles on paved paths. Loaner binoculars available. Co-sponsored with the Franklin Park Coalition and Franklin Park Tennis [...]
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Mass. Audubon Boston Nature Center
Mattapan - MAS Boston Nature Center 500 Walk Hill St, Mattapan, MA, United StatesJoin us to observe resident birds and fall migrants in a unique urban habitat that attracts many uncommon and rare species. Birders of all levels will enjoy this walk. The trails are (generally) flat and easy to walk, though there are some rough patches. A water bottle, sunblock, insect repellent, and waterproof clothing including a [...]
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Fort Phoenix State Reservation
Fairhaven - Fort Phoenix State Reservation End of Green St, Fairhaven, MA, United StatesWe will bird at historic Fort Phoenix, which dates to the Revolutionary War, walking along the hurricane barrier for a view of New Bedford Harbor and Buzzards Bay. Hundreds of Brant, nineteen species of ducks, as well as grebes, loons, and a variety songbirds are commonly seen at this eBird hotspot. Cosponsored with Paskamansett Bird [...]