Come join us for the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Training Workshop on Friday, August 30th from 9 am to 12 pm! Learn all about these living fossils that call our beaches home. Workshop participants will become certified citizen scientists and learn how they can aid in horseshoe crab conservation efforts in Collier and Lee County. The workshop will be held in person at 1590 Goodlette-Frank Rd, inside the yellow Hamill Family Education Center. A Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch member will greet you on the left-hand side of the building for check-in. Pre-registration is recommended due to limited capacity. Don't miss this opportunity to get involved and make a difference!

Why Horseshoe Crabs?

The American horseshoe crab is a common sight on Florida's beaches. Horseshoe crabs are “living fossils” existing nearly unchanged for at least 445 million years! Well before even dinosaurs existed. Today, horseshoe crab numbers are declining throughout much of their range and need our help!

Horseshoe crabs are an important ecologically and for humans. Their eggs are the major food source for shorebirds migrating north while adult crabs serve as prey for sea turtles, alligators, horse conchs, and sharks. Horseshoe crabs are also extremely important to the biomedical industry because their unique, copper-based blue blood contains a substance called "Limulus Amebocyte Lysate", or "LAL". This compound is used to test for sterility of medical equipment and virtually all injectable drugs. Anyone who has had an injection, vaccination, or surgery has benefited from horseshoe crabs!

Want to learn more about the program? Check out these links.

Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch-Linked with Limulus

Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Videos

Facts About Horseshoe Crabs and FAQ

Found some horseshoe crabs? Report sightings via this online survey

Tentative Agenda:

8:45 AM to 9:00 AM - Workshop Check-In

9:00 AM to 10:30 AM - Horseshoe Crab History, Biology and Conservation Overview

10:30 AM to 11 AM - Horseshoe Crab Volunteer Protocols

11:00 AM to 12 PM - Hands-on Practice and Q & A