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Volunteer Training 2014
An initiative to rescue overturned horseshoe crabs on the beaches of Delaware Bay in New Jersey.
Rescued 5,000 crabs through 43 walks in 2013
Focused on closed beaches, but can be done anywhere
Nine partner organizations
What is reTURN the Favor?
The Problem
Overturned by waves
Impinged or trapped in jetties or behind bulkheads
Soft Undersides Exposed
Easy Targets for Predators
Access Limited at Closed Beaches
It’s easy to save their lives by simply turning them over.
Program Goals
1. Rescue stranded horseshoe crabs. 2. Provide organized rescue of horseshoe crabs on
New Jersey’s closed beaches. 3. Increase awareness of horseshoe crabs,
shorebirds and their management. 4. Collect data and information on stranded crabs,
potential hazards, and tagged crabs to aid in management and restoration.
Many Partners, More Beaches
May on the Bay
Spawning begins for the highest concentration of horseshoe crabs in the world
In the last 15 years, overharvesting and degraded habitat has caused their population to decline by 90%
May on the Bay
Meanwhile, shorebirds are migrating from South America to Arctic breeding grounds
After traveling up to 6,500 miles, they arrive ready to refuel on horseshoe crab eggs
With crab population declines, the shorebirds also struggle
Did you know?
Crabs reach
sexual maturity
at age 9 or 10.
Each year, they
travel from
deeper waters
offshore to sandy
beaches to
reproduce..
Horseshoe crab
blood contains
Limulus amebocyte
lysate, a substance
which is used to
test all injected
drugs and
implantable
medical devices
for contamination.
By the end of
spawning season,
a female will
have laid about
80,000 eggs.
There are four species of the horseshoe
crab in the world. Only one (the
American Horseshoe Crab) is found in
New Jersey.
On average,
females are
20% larger
than males.
Unique Concerns in NJ
Horseshoe Crab Moratorium
Beaches closed for shorebirds from May 7 to June 7
Permission letter and identification Access to closed beaches is a privilege
Mind wildlife regulations
Safety and public communications Use program outreach materials
Avoid confrontation
Groups of two or more
Be the eyes and ears for any unlawful activities
Conservation officer contact numbers
877-WARNDEP (877-927-6337) hotline
911 in case of emergency
Beach Closed Beach
(May 7-June 7) Organization
Money Island N Bayshore Center at Bivalve
Gandy’s Beach Y Bayshore Center at Bivalve
Fortescue/Raybin's Y Bayshore Center at Bivalve
East Point N Citizen United
Moore's Beach Y Bayshore Center at Bivalve
North Reeds Beach Y Wetlands Institute
South Reeds Beach Y Celebrate Delaware Bay
Cooks Beach Y New Jersey Audubon
Kimbles Beach Y Friends of Cape May NWR
Pierce's Point Y New Jersey Audubon
High Beach Y New Jersey Audubon
Rutgers Beach Y New Jersey Audubon
Sunray/Norbury Y Nature Conservancy
Villas Y Wetlands Institute
North Cape May N Wetlands Institute
Stone Harbor Point Y Wetlands Institute
Join an Existing Walk
Check the website for planned walks for the public
RSVP with the Partner
Participate in the Walk
Share your story or photos
What to Bring
Joining a Walk
Comfortable clothes for wet and cold weather
Footwear you don’t mind going into the water with!
Water
Sun and bug protection
Camera (*avoid excessive flash photography)
Headlamp or Flashlight
Lead a Walk for Us
Contact [email protected] and obtain approval to lead walks on an open or closed beach that needs your help
Provide a schedule of your walks and contact information. A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required.
Pick up a permission letter and t-shirt
Conduct your own walks on pre-approved beach.
When to Walk
May and June
Between one hour before sunset and sunrise
More important close to full and new moons
Falling and low tides
Set your Schedule
Select your beach with a partner organization
Contact [email protected]
Consult with your partner on the best times
Remember to consider: sunset/sunrise, high tide/low
tide, moon phases.
Choose your time(s)
Tell your partner contact. Inform them of any changes.
It is important that all walks are confirmed.
What to Bring
On your Own
Datasheet with extra copies
Clipboard and writing utensils
Outreach Materials – cards or brochures
Copy of permission letter (carry on person and leave in vehicle)
Conservation Officer’s contact Info
Partner’s contact info
T-shirt
Comfortable clothes for wet and cold weather Footwear you don’t mind going into the water with!
Water
Sun and bug protection
Camera (*avoid excessive flash photography)
Headlamp or Flashlight
Protocol for Leading a Walk
Hold crabs by their sides, not the tail – crabs are harmless!
Gently place crabs on their feet pointing towards the water.
Leave crabs where you find them – do not remove live or dead crabs from the beach.
If you encounter shorebirds please do not disturb them – go in the other direction first and/or wait for the flock to leave to go to its nighttime roost. If you cannot wait, do not walk the beach/disturb birds.
Protocol for Leading a Walk
Do not enter a closed beach unless you provide a partner with advance notice AND the partner has confirmed the walk. Conduct walks only during permitted times.
All rules apply to open and closed beaches. Horseshoe crabs can NEVER be removed from the beach
Shorebirds can NEVER be disturbed, even during daytime walks on open beaches
Plan your outing around a falling or low tide.
Obtain permission before entering private property.
Bring a buddy - a minimum of two people per group.
Collect info on beach, conditions, and time of rescue walk
Record live crabs ONLY!
Types and number of rescued crabs: overturned, impinged – manmade, impinged – natural
Distinguish between male and female crabs
Record and report zeroes
Protocol for Leading a Walk
Collect tag info and provide for reTURN the Favor Steering Committee to batch submit
Submit all data in a timely manner
Protocol for Leading a Walk
Datasheet
Data Submission
Online data submission preferred (returnthefavornj.org) http://returnthefavornj.org/get-involved/submit-data/
Fax, e-mail, or hardcopy mail - additional options on website be sure to photocopy original datasheet before
mailing
Why is Data Important?
Saving reproductive-age animals will help us reduce unnecessary loss from the breeding population from stranding or impingement
Helps us quantify how many crabs are lost to impingement hazards, identify and map hazards for mitigation
Helps inform spawning habitat restoration work and impingement hazard mitigation
Increase number of tag returns (of marked crabs)
Are you ready?
What to do if…
You see someone removing horseshoe crabs from the beach. Call a conservation officer.
A resident accuses you of foul play. Show them your official letter. Reference them to the
website. Last resort: Call the police or a conservation officer.
A beach visitor wants to get involved. Direct them to our website and/or your partner
contact. Provide them with a card or brochure.
What to do if…
You find a tagged crab. Collect the information from the tag and submit it with
your rescue data.
You find a dead crab. Check for tags and record tag data, but leave the crab
where it is. It should not be included in your tally.
You come upon a small flock of birds feeding. On an open beach, pass if you can give a wide berth
without disrupting them. On a closed beach, halt your walk until the birds leave, or turn around and cover a different section of beach.
What to do if…
A large flock of shorebirds is roosting above the high tide line, but there appears to be room to walk past them by the edge of the water. You can see dozens of overturned crabs further along.
DO NOT CONTINUE your walk. Record the distance you have covered and note the presence of the flock on the datasheet before turning back.
What to do if…
You are at Cooks Beach on May 22. Falling tide starts at noon, which means crabs will be overturned all afternoon. There are no birds on the beach that could be disturbed. DO NOT go on the beach. It is closed. Any activity on
the beach will prevent birds from feeding.
You are at Cooks Beach on June 22. Falling tide starts at noon. Schedule your trip around noon. The birds have
moved on to the Arctic, and the beach closure restrictions are lifted.
What to do if…
You are a walk leader and you become free the evening before the full moon. You would like to go out and rescue crabs. Great! But you must tell your partner contact with at least 24
hours’ notice AND the partner must confirm the new walk. Partners track volunteers in order to keep conservation officers
updated with who is on the beach, to avoid schedule conflicts, and to provide the required permission.
You find a large number of crabs trapped by some exposed rubble on a beach that is mostly sandy. Write a description of the area or map location (with GPS if you
have one!) and report to your partner. This will help with management decisions.
Help us Recruit
Website
Brochure
Business Card
Social Media
School Outreach Flyer
2013 Summary Report
returnthefavornj.org
Next Steps
1. Decide if you will lead your own walks or participate in existing walks
2. Visit www.returnthefavornj.org for scheduled walks and beach locations
3. Identify a beach that needs your help 4. Contact [email protected] to make
arrangements to lead walks 5. Set up a schedule around the tides, moons, and
sunrise/sunset to lead walks 6. Arrange your schedule with your partner in advance Questions: [email protected]
Beach Closed Beach
(May 7-June 7) Organization
Money Island N Bayshore Center at Bivalve
Gandy’s Beach Y Bayshore Center at Bivalve
Fortescue/Raybin's Y Bayshore Center at Bivalve
East Point N Citizen United
Moore's Beach Y Bayshore Center at Bivalve
North Reeds Beach Y Wetlands Institute
South Reeds Beach Y Celebrate Delaware Bay
Cooks Beach Y New Jersey Audubon
Kimbles Beach Y Friends of Cape May NWR
Pierce's Point Y New Jersey Audubon
High Beach Y New Jersey Audubon
Rutgers Beach Y New Jersey Audubon
Sunray/Norbury Y Nature Conservancy
Villas Y Wetlands Institute
North Cape May N Wetlands Institute
Stone Harbor Point Y Wetlands Institute
