Project Limulus Update

It's Spring again! The time when one's thoughts turn to .... horseshoe crabs! Beginning on April 26th we will again be counting and tagging spawning horseshoe crabs on the Guilford beaches. This is part of an ongoing study being conducted by Sacred Heart University to assess the health and stability of the horseshoe crab population in Long Island Sound.

We are looking for volunteers, also known as citizen scientists, to help with this study. You don't have to make a commitment; it doesn't have to involve a lot of time. It's easy! We'll show you what to do. All ages are welcome. Come have fun with us on the beach and get up close and personal with a living fossil; the horseshoe crab.

If you would like to volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Judy Knowles at 203-453-9053 or e-mail me at judy@menunkatuck.org. For more information about Project Limulus go to www.projectlimulus.org

Project Limulus Update

On Sunday night, June 7th, at 11:30 p.m., our team, consisting of myself, Ned Macomb, and my ever-willing-to-help husband, Vaughn Knowles, assembled at the Indian Cove Beaches in Guilford to count and tag spawning horseshoe crabs.  Apparently, love was in the air because we counted 44 horseshoe crabs and tagged 22 before running out of tags.  When we headed home to our beds at 1:15 a.m., wet, sandy, and elated, we agreed that a good time was had by all!

If you are interested in joining our survey team or starting your own at a different beach, please contact Judy Knowles at 203-453-9053. 

Project Limulus Training

Cindi Kobak writes:

Project Limulus has come to Guilford! Two Sacred Heart University students joined Menunkatuck volunteers on a Guilford beach at high tide one evening to train us on the proper way to tag a horseshoe crab. In the span of less than an hour, five horseshoe crabs appeared in the surf and were collected for tagging. Two were large, egg-laden females, one of which already had a smaller male clasping her. Volunteers were given tags and data sheets and will be visiting beaches over the summer months to tag and document the presence of these living fossils. For more information on Project Limulus, visit http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/13692_project_limulus.cfm.

If you are interested in volunteering to tag horseshoe crabs in Guilford this summer, please contact Judy Knowles at 203-453-9053 or covelovers2@aol.co