The power of citizen science: twenty years of horseshoe crab community research merging conservation with education

Jennifer H. MATTEI[1], Jo-Marie KASINAK[1],[2], Mary DUSHAY[1], Ismael YOUSSEF[3], and Samah SENBEL[4]
[1]Department of Biology, School of Arts & Sciences, Sacred Heart University, Connecticut, USA
[2]Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, CT, USA
[3]Vallhalla High School, New York, USA
[4]Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Sacred Heart University, CT, USA

Abstract.In 1997, very little was known about the horseshoe crab population (Limulus polyphemus) in Long Island Sound (LIS) an urban estuary in northeastern USA. Over 23 million people live within an 80 km radius of LIS and the 965km coastline of this large estuary is shared by the states of New York and Connecticut. The most logical way to study the population dynamics of the horseshoe crab in LIS was to involve trained volunteers to tag and record observations of spawning adults on local beaches throughout LIS, and so Project Limulus was established. Project Limulus educates volunteers of all ages to gather data on horseshoe crab population dynamics. Public and school based educational programs recruit new volunteers each year, promote conservation of horseshoe crabs and help make the connection to the importance of LIS ecosystem and general human health. Citizen Science, the active public involvement in scientific research, originated in China and can be traced back several millennia where residents tracked crop pest outbreaks. Today, citizen scientists help generate very large data sets which are not pos¬sible to obtain by other means on thousands of projects worldwide. Hundreds of citizen scientists, through Project Limulus, tagged and reported re-sightings of horseshoe crabs on both sides of LIS since 1998. Coding language R was used to map the movements of ~14,000 horseshoe crabs. LIS was divided into five regions where population genetic data was collected and an interactive application was made to allow researchers/managers understand the need for a comprehensive management plan for the species.We have found that the use of a flagship species, even one that is not a charismatic megafauna, has lasting conservation value for participants. Participation in Project Limulus has resulted in local conservation efforts of estuaries and active restoration of coastal habitats around LIS.

Keywords.Long Island Sound, Limulus polyphemus, citizen science, horseshoe crabs, large data set analysis using R, mapping movement patterns, conservation, education