Dowling College Helps Preserve Critical Species on Brink of Extinction

April 3, 2008

(Oakdale, N.Y.) In an effort to protect a species that has survived the mass distinction of dinosaurs, the Long Island Horseshoe Crab Network, headed by Dr. John T. Tanacredi, Chairman of the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences at Dowling College, will conduct the sixth year of an Inventory of Horseshoe Crabs (HSC) at some 60 sites on Long Island, from
the tip of Montauk to the tip of Brooklyn.

Horseshoe crabs around the world face a set of common and growing threats including over fishing, habitat loss and alteration, and pollution. This animal is essential for many reasons. They provide a chemical, LAL, that is used in hospitals to detect bacterial contamination. Also, the eggs of horseshoe crabs feed shore birds, including ones that may also be on the verge of being endangered.

“Over the last dozen years there has been considerable controversy over the extent to which horseshoe crab harvesting has impacted the species’ existence,” explained Dr. Tanacredi. ”It is general knowledge that HSC habitat covers from the coast of Maine to Florida, with Long Island historically having a robust population of HSC. Anecdotal information from ‘coast-wise’ people have recently expressed concerns that once large numbers of HSC observed each year, are today a mere skeletal population.”

The HSC Network invites everyone to join in and help protect a species 350 million years in the making. There are 60 beaches identified to be surveyed over several days in MAY (5th & 20th), JUNE (3rd & 18th) and JULY (3rd & 18th) on full moons and high tides. To see the list of beach sites and register as a volunteer to be a “Beach Captain”, call Dr. Tanacredi at 631-244-3394. Anyone sighting a live horseshoe crab is asked to provide details and photos via an online field report form at www.hscli.org.

About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education. www.dowling.edu

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