Hardened Shoreline Assessment

The hardened shoreline assessment was conducted in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension to validate previous shoreline hardening data and to further identify hardened structures located around the Peconic Estuary. Hardened shoreline structures, such as bulkheads, pose serious threats to habitat destruction. Identifying these areas around the estuary can provide useful information for future habitat restoration projects and to reclaim shoreline for important intertidal, marine species.

Please see the PEP Hardened Shoreline page to learn more about our work in removing bulkheads and restoring natural shorelines around the estuary.

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Horseshoe Crabs and Diamondback Terrapins: Satellite Telemetry Tags

This mini grant was awarded to CCE, who proposed a pilot-scale test of satellite telemetry technology to advance the monitoring of diamondback terrapins and horseshoe crabs within the Peconic Estuary. In just the last few years satellite tags have greatly improved with respect to their size, battery life, spatial accuracy, and the inclusion of additional environmental sensors (e.g. temperature, depth, etc.) that are recorded simultaneously while tracking animals. Hence, these modern tags may now be suitable to apply to aquatic species such as horseshoe crab and diamondback terrapins.

CCE staff collected five adult female horseshoe crabs and four adult female diamondback terrapins by hand from spawning/nesting sites within the Peconic Estuary between the months of May and August. Each animal’s carapace were tagged with satellite tags, sending out a GPS pin every time the tag comes into contact with the air. The data can be used to help map habitat use as well as provide a greater understanding of behavioral metrics. With this information, PEP and partnering organizations will be better equipped to recognize monitoring gaps as well as strengthen the development of a detailed estuary-wide habitat restoration and protection strategy. Such a strategy will help PEP map out areas for restoration and protection based on their importance to key estuarine species or risk of future inundation as a result of sea level rise and increased shoreline hardening.

Horseshoe Crab Workgroup and Action Plan

In partnership with Seatuck Environmental Association, a workgroup of experts consisting of researchers, state officials, naturalists, regulators, and other experts was put together to develop the Horseshoe Crab Action Plan. This document consists of recommendations for horseshoe crab protections. The most recent version of this document can be found here.

NY State Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Program

The horseshoe crab survey is one of PEP’s many citizen science activities that engages the public in habitat restoration and wildlife projects, thereby increasing the public’s understanding of the importance of Peconic Estuary Watershed as well as bolsters support for habitat and wildlife restoration and protection efforts. Every year PEP trains volunteers who participate in monitoring Horseshoe Crab populations in the Peconic Estuary Watershed. The annual horseshoe crab monitoring survey is essential to assessing the status of horseshoe crabs in New York’s Marine District, and to assist with the regional management and conservation of this important species through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

MEET OUR PARTNERS

Seatuck Environmental Association

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission