Horseshoe Crab spawning survey volunteer training to be offered April 5, 10

The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve is seeking volunteers to assist with the annual bay-wide horseshoe crab spawning survey in May and June on Ted Harvey Wildlife Area, Kitts Hummock and North Bowers beaches.

For those who are interested in assisting with this year’s survey, DNERR staff will host two volunteer training sessions at the St. Jones Reserve, 818 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. New volunteers and past participants are both strongly encouraged to attend one of the two sessions, Saturday, April 5, 10 to 11:30 a.m., or Thursday, April 10, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Volunteers should register online before the day of each of the training dates by visiting de.gov/dnerrhscsurvey. For more information on horseshoe crab monitoring or volunteering at DNERR, contact Jennifer Holmes at 302-739-6377 or Jennifer.Holmes@state.de.us.

Volunteers will learn how to conduct the survey, properly record data and distinguish between male and female horseshoe crabs. The training will also highlight results of horseshoe crab survey data and how it is being used.