And just as important, as volunteers learn more, they become ambassadors for the horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. This multi-partner program organizes a large group of trained and dedicated volunteers who collectively spend thousands of hours covering miles of Delaware Bay beaches to rescue stranded horseshoe crabs. Stone Harbor, NJ (April 22, 2019) – The Wetlands Institute (TWI) and Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind (Ørsted) are pleased to announce a partnership to execute this year’s “ReTURN the Favor NJ” project, an annual campaign that is implemented by TWI and partnership organizations to support recovery of the state’s horseshoe crab population. Conserve Wildlife Foundation has been a partner in the reTURN the Favor (RTF) program since its establishment in 2013. Conserve Wildlife Foundation has been a partner in the reTURN the Favor (RTF) program since its establishment in 2013. Horseshoe crabs are true blue bloods – their blood is copper-based, which gives it a blue sheen. Over the last seven years, volunteers have contributed 11,802 hours on over 3,300 walks, rescuing 505,629 horseshoe crabs on 22 beaches in … During the seven years of the program, reTURN the Favor has grown exponentially with great success meeting two of its key goals: rescuing stranded horseshoe crabs and building a constituency of people taking action for shorebirds and horseshoe crabs. Despite their name, horseshoe crabs are more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. reTURN the Favor is one of those opportunities, with local communities and visitors taking action to reduce one source of mortality for horseshoe crabs—strandings. The reTURN the Favor program works to make the beaches of New Jersey safer for the thousands of horseshoe crabs that spawn annually between May and July on the Delaware Bayshore. Unusually high tides had an impact on the annual spawning of Horseshoe Crabs along the Delaware Bay this spring. In the presence of gram-negative bacteria, the blood gels. People realized that they could use horseshoe crab blood as an easy test for the presence of bacteria. Join The Wetlands Institute on a public walk to help save these stranded horseshoe crabs on a local beach.

Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds need your help!!! You can help rescue horseshoe crabs in New Jersey through our reTURN the Favor program, keeping horseshoe crabs and shorebirds in the Delaware Bay for many years to come. Many of these crabs die by becoming overturned by wave action, or upon being caught in natural or manmade structures such as jetties or old housing structures.

The program has grown exponentially in all aspects, from the number of hours volunteered and walks led to the number of horseshoe crabs rescued. This multi-partner program organizes a large group of trained and dedicated volunteers who collectively spend thousands of hours covering miles of Delaware Bay beaches to rescue stranded horseshoe crabs. Return the Favor NJ.

That prevents the bacteria from entering their blood stream. The reTURN The Favor program has rescued 500,000 horseshoe crabs since 2013 on New Jersey’s Bay shoreline during May and June spawning.

As the horseshoe crab population struggles, the shorebirds are unable to fatten on crab eggs to continue to the Arctic. The reTURN the Favor program was initiated in 2013 to rescue horseshoe crabs stranded on beaches along the Delaware Bay in New Jersey, where large concentrations of crabs spawn every spring. Help save overturned or stranded horseshoe crabs This species is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America.

The Issue: While coming ashore many of these harmless animals accidentally become overturned by waves, or become trapped in jetties or behind bulkheads. And now many of these shorebird populations – including Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Dunlins – are also struggling. The reTURN the Favor program works to make the beaches of New Jersey safer for the thousands of horseshoe crabs that spawn annually between May and July on the Delaware Bayshore.

Which means we have half a million reasons to keep this program going strong!