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International Symposium on the
Science and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs – 2007

FIELD TRIPS

There will be several opportunities to observe horseshoe crabs.

• Two Days with Limulus polyphemus (Fee required; see registration form)
  
  
• Evening field trips to local reseach and conservation sites will be offered. Sign-up and description will be available at the time of symposium check-in.

The Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Field Trip

Spend two days exploring the most productive spawning habitat for the American Horseshoe Crab--the Delaware Bay. Visit three different beach habitats, including Slaughter Beach, which hosts the largest concentration of spawning Horseshoe Crabs in the world. Enjoy a traditional Delaware Bay crab feast (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun), a pork barbecue, visits to two Nature Reserves, and a ferry ride across the mouth of the Bay.

Field Trip Agenda:

Friday, June 15th:

• 10 a.m., depart for Delaware via tour bus from Dowling College Campus.
• 3:00 p.m., arrive in Dover and check into hotel.
• 4:00 p.m., depart for Sambo's restaurant on the Leipsic River, for a traditional Delaware Bay crab feast (Callinectes sapidus), not horseshoe crabs.
• 6:30 p.m., depart for Port Mahon; a horseshoe crab spawning beach, compromised by man-made structures and erosion.
• 9:00 p.m., depart for Pickering Beach to participate in the night high tide horseshoe crab spawning count (bring a flashlight, bug repellant, shoes that can get wet or boots and a rain jacket in case it rains).
• 12 midnight, return to hotel in Dover.

Saturday June 16th:

• 7:30 a.m., depart for the St. Jones Reserve for breakfast and a lecture about the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab/shorebird phenomena.
• 9:30 a.m., depart Slaughter Beach (one of the worlds most productive horseshoe crab spawning beaches) to watch horseshoe crabs spawn and shorebirds feed in the morning high tide.
• 12 noon, depart for the DuPont Nature Center at the Mispillion Reserve. The nature center is Delaware's Premier horseshoe crab and shorebird interpretive center and a wonderful spot to observe both horseshoe crabs and shorebirds.
• 1:00 p.m., old-fashion outdoor barbecue at the Dupont Nature Center
• 2:30 p.m., depart for the Cape May/Lewes Ferry to begin return trip. The ferry crosses the 12.5-mile mouth of the Delaware Bay (where the horseshoe crabs enter the Bay.
• 5:00 p.m., return bus trip via the Garden State Parkway through NJ Coastal Wetlands and NJ Pine Barrens.

The field trip will end at one of two drop off points. It will be up to you to make hotel accommodations for Saturday night and beyond.

1. Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott. Free shuttle to the airport. Phone 1-973-623-0006. Rooms $129- $147 per night (up to four people can share a room for a small increase in cost.)
   
   
2. Best Western Kennedy Airport. Free shuttle to the airport. Phone 1-800-937-8376. Rooms $169 single, $189. double. Hotel accommodations for June 15th, transportation and indicated meals are included in the cost of the trip

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