Project Limulus 2013 Season

2013 was Menunkatuck Audubon's fifth year of volunteering for Sacred Heart University's Project Limulus.  It was another disappointing season for finding horseshoe crabs in Guilford.  There seemed to be even less on our beaches than last year.  The number of crabs counted during the surveys had been fairly consistent over the past 3 years but this year that number dropped by more than half.  According to the DEEP, the horseshoe crab population in Long Island Sound is stable, but we saw a significant change on the 2 beaches we survey in Guilford.

The 2013 survey period began on May 8th.and ended on June 25th.  Our Project Limulus team surveyed the 2 beaches at Indian Cove a total of 16 times and counted a total of 49 crabs.  We had to cancel more surveys than usual this year due to inclement weather and holidays.

150 crabs were tagged at the following Guilford beaches:  Indian Cove Public Beach, Indian Cove Private Beach, Shell Beach,Joshua Cove, Chaffinch Island, and Grass Island.

We found 34 recaptures.  Recaptures are crabs which have been previously tagged.

I would like to thank the volunteers who helped with the project at all hours of the day and night, in all kinds of weather.  This study could not be done without you.

                                             2010                     2011                  2012                   2013            

Total crabs tagged-            370                       975                     240                     150

Total recaptures-                  26                        262                       61                       34

                                             2010                    2011                   2012                   2013

Total crabs counted 

during surveys -                   151                      171                     165                       49




Total number of 
surveys conducted           2010                   2011                   2012                   2013

                                                  23                       24                        21                       16


Average number               2010                   2011                   2012                   2013 
of crabs per 
survey                                     6.5                       7.1                      7.8                       3.0


       

Project Limulus: 2012 Horseshoe Crab Population Survey Summary

I am sorry to report that it was a disappointing spring for Menunkatuck’s Project Limulus  volunteers, especially after last year when we tagged 975 crabs.  Our total tagged for this year was only 240.  The crabs just weren’t there!  This would have been of greater concern to us had we not learned that Short Beach in Branford was crawling with them!  Heather Smiarowski, a Beach Captain for The Branford Land Trust, reported that they almost had more crabs than they could handle.  I wondered if Guilford’s lack of crabs could have been due to reconfiguration of the bottom of the Sound caused by Hurricane Irene.  I asked Dr. Mark Beekey, one of the Sacred Heart professors in charge of Project Limulus, and he said that it is not unusual for the crabs to show up in an area one year and then go somewhere else the next year.  We don’t know why this happens. Finding answers to questions like this is one of the reasons we are doing the study.

Recapture numbers were considerably less in Guilford as well.  A recapture is a crab which has already been tagged.  We found only 61 recaptures compared to 262 found last year.

Guilford’s Project Limulus team surveyed the two beaches at Indian Cove a total of 21 times.  We also met on two extra days for tagging only.  Crabs were tagged at the following Guilford beaches: Indian Cove Public, Indian Cove Private, Shell Beach, Joshua Cove, and Grass Island.  Our 2012 survey period began on May 3rd. and ended on July 1st.  We found the greatest number of crabs on May18th.  It is interesting to note that horseshoe crabs were sighted by volunteers as early as April 15th.   This was approximately one month earlier than the past 3 years and was probably related to the mild winter and warmer than average spring temperatures.  One hypotheses to explain our lower crab numbers this year was that we had missed a couple of weeks of tagging because the tags weren’t available until the beginning of May.  This idea, however, seemed to be negated by the fact that Branford continued to find large numbers of crabs throughout May and June. 

I think it is also interesting to note that during the actual beach surveys, which follow a prescribed protocol according to specific dates and tides, the number of crabs counted,(165), was not significantly different from last year’s count of 171.  I don’t know how to explain this.  All of my seasoned volunteers agreed that we really did see less crabs this year. 

New this year, were two visits to local schools.  Accompanied by a pair of live horseshoe crabs,my husband, Vaughn, and I gave presentations about Project Limulus to the students at the King-Robinson Magnet School in New Haven and at Rockville High School in Vernon.  It was great to see the students "getting up close and personal" with the horseshoe crabs! 

  

I can’t say thank you enough to my great team of volunteers for their time, enthusiasm, and dedication.  Here’s hoping that the crabs will decide to come back to Guilford next year!   I look forward to seeing you then.

We are always happy to have new volunteers.  If you are interested, please contact judy@menunkatuck.org.  For more information about Project Limulus, go to info@projectlimulus.org. 

                                       2010                     2011                  2012

Total crabs tagged-       370                       975                    240

Total recaptures-             26                        262                      61

                                        2010                    2011                  2012

Total crabs counted 

during surveys -              151                      171                    165                   

2010

Indian Cove Public Beach              Indian Cove Private Beach    

Single males-4                                  Single males-13

Single females-1                               Single females- 4

Pairs-30                                              Pairs-19

Female with 2 males-2                    Female with 2 males-3

Female with 3 males-0                    Female with 3 males-4

Total crabs-71                                   Total crabs-80

2011

Single males-19                              Single males-6

Single females-9                             Single females-1

Pairs-41                                            Pairs-13

Female with 2 males-7                  Female with 2 males-1

Female with 3 males-1                  Female with 3 males-0                                                                                                                 Total crabs-135                               Total crabs-36

                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                      

2012

Single males-15                               Single males-7

Single females-4                              Single females-3

Pairs-27                                             Pairs-31                      

Female with 2 males-5                   Female with 2 males-0

Female with 3 males-0                   Female with 3 males-0

Females with 4 males-1                 Female with 4 males-0

Total crabs-93                                  Total crabs-72

Three Chapter Area Schools Embrace Audubon Schoolyard Habitat Program

Michelle Frankel and Taralynn Reynolds describe a program for children

King-Robinson Magnet School in New Haven and Melissa Jones Elementary School and Abraham Baldwin Middle School in Guilford are embracing the Audubon Schoolyard Habitat Program.

Melissa Jones students admire the Habitat Recognition sign that the school was awarded for its adoption of the Audubon At Home healthy habitat program.

The Audubon Schoolyard Habitat Program develops healthy schoolyard habitats for children and wildlife by providing schools with the guidance, training, and resources to create habitat for wildlife on the school grounds and integrate place-based nature education into the curriculum. The program is well aligned with the children and youth programmatic priorities at the schools. Access to a schoolyard habitat will provide all children at the school with access to nature on a daily basis and help them understand the connections between making healthy choices for themselves and for the environment. Activities will build skills in inquiry, observation, and math using experiential techniques, enabling children to be more successful at school. They will have the opportunity to work with adults, play leadership roles and make positive decisions by participating in the Garden Stewardship committee. Family education activities will provide opportunities for families to nurture and support children’s learning and encourage families to make healthy choices at home.

Place-based nature education is critical to the development of an environmentally aware citizenry. At a time when passive indoor activities and restrictions on outdoor play dominate children’s out-of-school time, youngsters have little direct experience in nature. There is an urgent need for place-based learning about the natural world, particularly in urban areas. Richard Louv documented the nationwide epidemic of “nature deficit disorder,” linking lack of nature exposure to rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. The American Association for the Advancement of Science urges teachers to take science out of the textbook and into reality.

Audubon Connecticut has been awarded a grant for $23,314 from the Carolyn Foundation to develop the Schoolyard Habitat Program at King-Robinson. The grant will expand on the three-year partnership Menunkatuck has had with King-Robinson to enable the establishment of a large wildlife meadow, development of a Schoolyard Habitat Educator’s Guide, teacher training, and field trips for the school children.Carolyn Foundation to develop the Schoolyard Habitat Program at King-Robinson. The grant will expand on the three-year partnership Menunkatuck has had with King-Robinson to enable the establishment of a large wildlife meadow, development of a Schoolyard Habitat Educator’s Guide, teacher training, and field trips for the school children.

This slope at King-Robinson Magnet School will be transformed into a meadow.

The Guilford schools have each received grants from the Guilford Fund for Education.

Melissa Jones school social worker Lorrie Shaw was awarded $3500 in 2011 and has used the funds to establish a native wildflower and shrub garden that was used by the K-4 students as part of their classwork. She was also able to purchase binoculars and field guides for the students to use. Melissa Jones was awarded the Audubon at Home Habitat Recognition Award for its commitment to establishing the school as a healthy habitat.

Baldwin science teacher Sue Kennedy received $3500 this year. With the help of students from the Guilford High School Ecology Club, a monoculture courtyard area has been transformed into a garden space with native perennials and fruit bearing shrubs. A sloped area that has been ignored and is overgrown with non-native plants will become a meadow with pollinator-friendly plants. Additionally, Sue will be purchasing binoculars and field guides.

This courtyard at Baldwin Middle School is being converted from a garden of day lilies to one with a variety of native perennials and fruit-bearing shrubs.

The courtyard garden is starting to take shape.

The Schoolyard Habitat Recognition Program addresses core content standards and outdoor environmental education provides the perfect format for students to improve their scientific inquiry skills. The students will have the opportunity to describe basic natural phenomena such as the seasonal changes in plants or the life cycle of insects found in the garden.

Melissa Jones students study plants and insects in the garden.

Students will be able to use the wildlife gardens to develop authentic research projects, such as examining factors that affect plant growth, seed preferences of birds at feeders, and parental care at nest boxes. Students will use the appropriate tools including hand lenses, binoculars, tape measures, and simple data collection sheets. Students could have ‘magic spots’ where they go every week to observe seasonal changes of the gardens. Such hands-on experiences encourage students to set questions for themselves rather than simply to respond to questions set by teachers and engage in authentic research and learning experiences.

The Schoolyard Habitat gardens provide an outdoor learning space in which the students can improve their scientific inquiry skills

The first step in adopting the Audubon Schoolyard Habitat Program is an assessment of the school campus habitat followed by recommendations for making it more wildlife-friendly. Contact Taralynn Reynolds (treynolds@audubon.org) for more information about having your school become part of this exciting program.

Michelle Frankel is a Conservation Biologist and Taralynn Reynolds is the Audubon At Home Coordinator for Audubon Connecticut.

It was an exciting and astonishing season for the Menunkatuck Project Limulus team. Last year we tagged a total of 370 horseshoe crabs, so when Professor Mark Beekey of Sacred Heart University asked me how many tags I thought I could use this year, I optimistically said 600. Little did I know that I would have to request more tags twice during the season. We ended up tagging a grand total of 975 crabs!

One may conclude from this information that there were more crabs at our beaches this year. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. One reason for the increase in numbers tagged was having more independent taggers this year than last year. Another reason was the extra days the group spent on the beaches during the peak of the spawning season. Between May 25th. and May 28th. we tagged 281 crabs. These were not regular survey days. A third reason why we tagged more crabs was because we had more well trained volunteers this year who were able to tag the crabs as we counted them during the survey of the beach.

Guilfordʼs Project Limulus team surveyed the two beaches at Indian Cove 24 times between May 1st. and July 1st. We also assembled at the Cove beaches 5 extra times for tagging only. We had 8 independent taggers who covered most of the beaches in Guilford. We were more likely to find crabs during the day this year than last year, but we continued to find the most at night. We counted the first crabs of the season on May 15th. The peak of the season was May 27th., when we tagged 110 in one night.

Here is the final data for the 2011 horseshoe crab spawning season:

We counted a total of 171 crabs during the 24 standardized surveys conducted at the 2 Indian Cove beaches. We tagged a total of 975 crabs at Guilford beaches including Indian Cove, Joshua Cove, Shell Beach, Chittenden Beach, Jacobs Beach, and Grass Island. We recorded 262 recaptures (crabs which have been previously tagged). Last year we only found 26 recaptures!

I am grateful to the 40 plus active volunteers for their help and enthusiasm. It was a very successful season and we had a lot of fun. I look forward to seeing all of you next year.

We are always happy to have new volunteers. If you are interested, please contact

judy@menunkatuck.org. For more information about Project Limulus, go to info@projectlimulus.org.

Total crabs tagged in 2010- 370

Total crabs tagged in 2011- 975

Total recaptures in 2010- 26

Total recaptures in 2011- 262

Total crabs counted during surveys in 2010- 151

Total crabs counted during surveys in 2011- 171

2010 Indian Cove Public Beach

Single males-4

Single females-1

Pairs-30

Female with 2 males-2

Female with 3 males-0

Total crabs-71

2011

Single males-19

Single females-9

Pairs-41

Female with 2 males-7

Female with 3 males-1

Total crabs-135

2010 Indian Cove Private Beach

Single males-13

Single females- 4

Pairs-19

Female with 2 males-3

Female with 3 males-4

Total crabs-80

2011

Single males-6

Single females-1

Pairs-13

Female with 2 males-1

Female with 3 males-0

Total crabs-36

Total crabs counted- 36

King/Robinson Students Experience Raptors from A Place Called Hope

The students at King/Robinson Magnet School in New Haven experienced live raptors from A Place Called Hope Raptor Rehabilitators today. In two programs, one for the Pre-K to Grade 4 students and the other for the Grade 5 to Grade 8 students, Christine Cummings and Todd Secki brought out five birds of prey.

An eastern screech owl and a great horned owl were the birds used to describe the unique features of owls. A red-tailed hawk and a broad-winged hawk showed the similarities and differences between the largest and one of the smallest hawks found in Connecticut.

The upper level students also got to see a barn owl in its second performance since coming to A Place Called Hope. The barn owl showed little of the shyness that Christine and Todd thought it might and gave the students a good show.

Menunkatuck Supports ‘Adopt a Book’ in Guilford

The Guilford Library recently put out the call seeking donations toward the purchase of new books for their children’s room. Menunkatuck Audubon answered that call to ‘Adopt a Book.’ Working with Suellen Heinrich at the library, we chose ten nature-related books to donate:

• Backyard Birds – Peterson Field Guide
• Birds of Prey – Peterson Field Guide
• Bring On the Birds – Susan Stockdale
• Can We Save the Tiger? – Martin Jenkins
• Frog In a Bog – John Himmelman
• Hatch – Roxie Munroe
• Olivia’s Birds – Saving the Gulf – Olivia Bouler
• Roscoe and the Pelican Rescue – Lynn Reed
• Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian – Margarita Engle
• Thunder Birds – Nature’s Flying Predators – Jim Aronsky

Book plates will be placed in each of these books with the Menunkatuck Audubon Society named as donor. Share them with a favorite kid this summer when you visit the Guilford Library.

Thank you to our members, whose support made this donation possible.

Project Limulus Update

Here is the final data for the 2010 horseshoe crab spawning season:

We surveyed 2 beaches in Indian Cove, Guilford, CT. We did the survey a total of 27 times during April, May, June, and July. We counted a total of 151 crabs.

Indian Cove Public Beach:

Single males- 4

Single females-1

Pairs- 30

Female with 2 males- 2

Female with 3 males- 0

Total crabs- 71

Indian Cove Private Beach:

Single males- 13

Single females- 4

Pairs- 19

Female with 2 males- 3

Female with 3 males- 4

Total crabs- 80

We counted the most crabs on the night of May 25th. during the full moon. The peak of the spawning season was May 25th. through May 29th.

Our volunteer group tagged a total of 370 crabs. 130 crabs were tagged in Indian Cove and the rest were tagged at Great Harbor, Jacobs Beach, Grass Island, Tuttles Point,Chaffinch Island, and Chittenden Park.

We reported 26 recaptures ( crabs which have been previously tagged ). One of the most interesting ones was found by Nina Ellison. It was a male which had been tagged in VA in 1999.

Thanks again to all of the Project Limulus volunteers. I will contact everyone in the spring. Now that we have such a dedicated and well-trained team, I'm looking forward to tagging even more crabs next year. I would like to try adding some extra sessions which would be just for tagging crabs at other Guilford beaches.

Project Limulus Update

Another horseshoe crab spawning season has come to an end. You may still see an occasional crab cruising around at the beach, but the crab " love fests " of May and June are now just a memory.

Survey period number five began on June 24th. On a glorious morning full of sun and sea, we were joined by a girl scout troop, and Camden and Justin Blumberg, ages 8 and 6, respectively. They are the youngest members of our team. The kids quickly learned the survey protocol, manning the ropes and recording the data like old pros. We didn't find any crabs during the survey but I had found one earlier, a large female. They all got to hold her and I got to share all of the wonderful things I have learned about horseshoe crabs. Shane Gallimore, a high school student, who was also doing the survey for the first time, got to tag and release her back into the Cove.

No crabs were counted during the June 26th. surveys. However, thanks to a suggestion from Project Limulus team members Stephanie Donaldson and Mary Heffernan, we did take part in an environmentally important event called " Hands Across the Sands". It was an international peaceful gathering to oppose off-shore drilling and support clean energy. Most of the Indian Cove beach-goers joined us in this show of support. Pam Johnson, Senior Staff Writer for the Guilford Courier, wrote an article for the July 8th, edition. She included a photo by by Stephanie Donaldson. It was just one of many cool things which have happened as a result of my involvement with Project Limulus and Audubon. ( To access the article, go to zip06.com/guilford ).

That night, Lesley Orlowski,Lauren Orlowski, and Tom Kelly took over the 11:30 p.m. survey so I could have a night off. They tagged 4 crabs. Thanks guys!

No crabs were seen during the daytime survey on June 28th. and the 12:30 a.m. survey was cancelled due to the weather, the late hour, and the lack of crabs.

We did the survey two more times, on July 9th. at night and July 11th. in the morning. As we expected, there were no crabs. This officially ended our 2010 survey. I got busy sending data to Mark Beekey at Sacred Heart University. I want to congratulate my taggers; Jim Murtaugh, Lorrie and Terry Shaw, Melanie Tolley, Tom Kelly, Ann Delaney, and Katie Day for promptly returning their data and extra tags. Mark Beekey said we were the first team to have all of our tagging data in and tags accounted for.

In my next blog I will present a breakdown of the data for the year. Thank you so much to all the volunteers for your time and dedication. It has truly been a pleasure working with you and getting to know you.

Project Limulus Update

Our fourth crab census began on June 10th., during the new moon. No horseshoe crabs were seen during the morning survey. At the 10:00 p.m. survey we counted only one crab. The crabs began to appear after the survey, which is often the case. We were able to tag 8 and we had two recaptures. Recaptures are crabs which have been previously tagged.

On Saturday, June 12th., Project Limulus volunteer, Nina Ellison graciously agreed to be in charge of the morning survey. She and the rest of the very competent team conducted the survey and again found no crabs. That night we only counted one pair, and tagged 4. It seems that we are now past the peak time for spawning.

On Monday, June 14th., the a.m. survey yielded nothing, as usual. The crabs in Indian Cove are definitely creatures of the night! Amy Hopkins took charge of the 1:10 a.m. survey, giving Vaughn and me the night off to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Thank you Amy, Leigh, Katie, and Nina for coming out to count crabs in middle of the night. That is true dedication! They had success, counting 10 crabs, tagging 6, and finding 3 recaptures.

Live Raptors at King/Robinson

Horizon Wings Raptor Rehabilitation and Education visited King/Robinson Magnet School in New Haven on June 18. Mary-Beth Kaeser and Jeanne Wadsworth brought an American kestrel, a broad-winged hawk, a peregrine falcon, and a great-horned owl to show the school's students.

American Kestrel

Broad-winged hawk

Peregrine falcon

Great-horned owl

Highlights of the presentation:

Project Limulus

Jim Murtagh's photos of horseshoe crab tagging.

Project Limulus Update

It has been a busy week for the counters and taggers of Indian Cove! We began our third survey session on May 25th. We didn't see any crabs during the day but that night they were everywhere. The water was murky, with zero visibility, but we could feel the crabs with our feet as we walked through the water, surveying the beach. We would then reach into the water to touch the crabs to determine whether they were singles or pairs. We even found females who had two mates. It was like a treasure hunt and everyone was pretty excited. We counted a grand total of 89 crabs! We also tagged 13 crabs, which doesn't seem like very many but we have a rule that we don't disturb any pairs which are buried in the sand. That's an indication that they are busy laying and fertilizing their eggs. We found 4 crabs which had been previously tagged elsewhere. We call these recaptures. It's a very important part of the study to report any recaptures. It gives the researchers information about where the crab has been and about it's condition and longevity. If you find a crab with a tag you should call the phone number on the tag and report the tag i.d. number, the date , and the location where you found it.

On Thursday morning, May 27th, we again found no crabs. On Thursday night I was all set to head out with the group when I received a request from Menunkatuck to join fellow board members, Shannon Schiesser and Jim Murtaugh for a filming of Scott Tucker's cable access program, Expedition New England. My husband, Vaughn, said he would fill in for me at the Cove survey, so I met the others at Circle Beach in Madison at 11:45 p.m. I met Scott, his daughter Daphne, his friend Ron, and Ron's son Jerome. We found plenty of crabs, tagged a few, had fun looking for them, and enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous full moon. I'll let you know when the show is supposed to air. The Indian Cove group did beautifully without me, counting 28 crabs, tagging 16, and recording 1 recapture.

Saturday, May 29th was the final day of the full moon session. Still no crabs during the day. They really do like the nighttime better and who can blame them; a quiet beach, moonlight reflecting on the water, it's pretty romantic! We had a large group on Sat. afternoon, including a number of kids, which was great. We were sad to find a dead female crab but she did make it possible for us to have tagging practice. Everyone who wanted to try tagging a crab was able to do it. All of the kids got a chance to tag and to hold her and I got to tell them all of the "cool stuff" about horseshoe crabs. That night we met at 12:40 a.m. Kudos to all of the volunteers who were able to stay awake until then! We only found 6 crabs during the survey but we tagged 26 afterwards. That's the most we've tagged at the Cove so far. There were 6 recaptures.

Some of our team members are tagging on their own as well. Jim Murtaugh and his daughter, Eryn, Lorrie Shaw,and Sue Coale have tagged over 100 crabs at Trolley Rd. beach. Melanie Tolley has tagged 25 or more at Grass Island and Ann Delaney has tagged as many at Indian Cove.

Our team has grown to over 40 members. It's a wonderful group of dedicated and interesting people. I'm delighted to see how smoothly they can now do the survey and tagging with out me. Maybe I should take a vacation....

Project Limulus Update

Since my last blog post, so much has transpired. Thanks to the article in the Guilford Courier and a most enjoyable and informative presentation about Project Limulus by Professor Mark Beekey of Sacred Heart University, our team now has 34 new members!

We conducted our survey on Guilford's Indian Cove beaches, twice a day on May 11th, May 13th, and May 15th. This survey period coincided with the new moon. We met just before the high tide; during the day and again at night. Although we didn't see any crabs on the first two days, the volunteers were wonderfully enthusiastic, and interested in learning the survey protocol.

On the third day, Saturday, May 15th, we met at 12:30 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day at the beach but there were still no crabs to be seen! Then on Saturday night, at about 1:00 a.m., a group of 9 "night owls" gathered on the dark, moonless beach, and there were the crabs! They were serenely doing what nature had programed them to do every spring for over 400 million years. We tagged 7 crabs and counted 16 altogether.

Our next survey session begins on May 25th, during the full moon. We're hoping for good weather and many more close encounters of the "crabby" kind.

Judy Knowles in Guilford Courier

Here's the link to the article about Judy Knowles and Project Limulus.

Bald Eagle Visits King/Robinson

When I visited King/Robinson the other day, Cliff gave me copies of the videos he and Anizya took of a Bald Eagle that visited the school on January 13. The eagle was in a tree about 150 m from Mrs Sullivan's science classroom. As the students watched and recorded, the eagle plucked and ate a gull that it had flown in with.

SWEP Grant for King/Robinson School

Nina Levenduski reports:

Menunkatuck Audubon Society has been awarded a $900 grant from the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP). The SWEP grant program works to provide community-based groups with funding for local projects that benefit the environment. The SWEP grant, combined with matching grants from The Audubon Shop in Madison and the Menunkatuck Birdathon, will help to support the study of science and the natural world at King/Robinson Magnet School in New Haven. The seventh and eighth grade science classroom will be provided with a spotting scope and tripod, 15 pairs of binoculars, and a digital camera compatible with the scope. The students will share their pictures and discoveries with Menunkatuck on the website and blog.

We hope the equipment will help foster a greater appreciation of science, nature and the environment among the students.

The Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals is a national non-profit professional association of individuals involved or interested in environmental law, science, business and policy. Its members are attorneys, consultants, regulators, in-house environmental personnel, and academics. Membership is open to all regardless of gender.