Volunteers Keep Tabs on Ancient Creature

Over 60 volunteers spent their early summer nights at Pikes Beach, not sitting in beach chairs watching the sun set, but instead getting their hands dirty, catching and tagging hundreds of horseshoe crabs. 

The annual program, sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension,  kicked-off at Pikes Beach in May with a goal to "provide a picture of how this ancient creature moves about our bays and oceans, and helps determine how healthy the population of horseshoe crabs is."

Researchers are also curious how Hurricane Sandy affected the population.

In 2012, the program, which resulted in the tagging of 3,419 crabs across Long island, researchers learned that Pikes Beach has the most spawning activity among crabs next to Jamaca Bay. 

Researchers also learned that typically there are more male than female crabs and that crabs tagged at Pike’s Beach traveled far and wide across the Island, some making their way to Milford Connecticut.

Gina and Mark Cappiello, site coordinators at Pike’s Beach, were thrilled with this year's turn-out and will eagerly await the results of this year's study. 

“When we began working with CCE over 7 years ago, Chris Smith the then leader of the Marine Group said something to me, which has really proven out to be true.” said Cappiello “When people learn about something in nature, they begin to care about it, and in time change their behavior to protect it”

She added, “That has been our own experience here on the barrier beach. We have taken our love of the ocean and home and tried to protect it for future generations."

Capiello said she has many volunteers to thank for helping with the project including, South Fork Natural History Museum, Girl Scouts of Nassau County Troop 2539 local teachers, Quogue Wildlife Refuge and local residents.