CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (Aug. 12, 2025) – UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant in Charlotte County is seeking volunteers to participate in the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch to collect information on mating horseshoe crabs in Charlotte Harbor. The information collected is used to inform population health assessments and movement models for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Join us for the upcoming in-person training session at Centennial Park Recreation Center, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30. New, interested and returning volunteers are encouraged to attend. Participants are also advised to create an account with the POINT volunteer management database in anticipation of beach nesting surveys that will take place at Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda during Fall 2025.
Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch methods involve a beach survey, documenting tagged animals, and tagging and measuring new animals. Individuals or groups will use POINT to sign up for any number of surveys that fit their schedule.
For more information contact Florida Sea Grant Agent Kate Rose at kate.rose0210@ufl.edu or 941- 764-4346; or Charlotte County Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Volunteer Coordinator Chad Lyman at horseshoechad@gmail.com or 941-830-4888.
###