Other Opportunities
Additional Community Science Opportunities
Seatuck and our partners at Long Island Sound Study, New York Sea Grant, South Shore Estuary Reserve, and Peconic Estuary Partnership would like to announce an exciting new educational monthly webinar series titled, Community Science LI.
Community science opportunities that will be covered during this monthly series include:
- Otter Watch
- River Herring Survey
- Batmap LI
- Horseshoe Crab Monitoring
- Unified Water Study
- Terrapin Watch
- Coyote Tracker
In addition to our major community science projects, the following are additional ways for people to get involved in gathering important wildlife data on Long Island:
Horseshoe Crab Survey
For more than a decade Seatuck has been conducting the annual NYSDEC Horseshoe Crab Survey at Captree State Park. The survey, which is run by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, collects data about horseshoe crab populations at sites across Long Island. Members of the community are welcome to assist Seatuck staff with the surveys, which take place on the new and full moons during May and June. Volunteers assist with counting and tagging the crabs and recording data. Registration is required – watch the event calendar for survey dates starting in early May.
Bird Surveys
There are several annual opportunities to join Seatuck in collecting bird data:
- Captree Christmas Bird Count – The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the largest and longest-running community science project on the planet. Seatuck board and staff members participate in the Captree CBC (which covers most of Western Suffolk County), usually covering the Scully Estate and the Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge. Volunteers are welcome to join us. Contact us at [email protected] or 631-581-6908 in early December for details.
- Winter Waterfowl Survey – Seatuck board, staff and friends participate in the New York State Ornithological Association’s annual Winter Waterfowl Count, during which we survey waterfowl using ponds and embayments along the South Shore from Islip to Babylon. Again, volunteers are welcome to join us. Contact us at [email protected] or 631-581-6908 in early December for details.
- Seatuck Birding Challenge – Seatuck’s annual Long Island Birding Challenge, which is the region’s only island-wide birding event, is not only a fundraiser for the organization, but also an important event for collecting data across the island each fall. The Birding Challenge is held in mid-September. Click here for information about how to participate.
- Project Feeder Watch – Each winter, Seatuck staff participate in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s long-running Project Feeder Watch. Volunteers are welcome to join us to assist with the survey. We also generally conduct a training so volunteers can easily participate from home. Watch our program calendar for details.
American Chestnut Fieldwork
For more than a decade, Seatuck has been engaged in an effort to keep the stock of Long Island’s American Chestnuts viable until a solution is found for the Chestnut Blight, which has decimated the tree across its range. Seatuck staff pollinate American Chestnut trees in early July and collect nuts in the fall. The nuts are then grown and planted in parks and preserves. Volunteers are always welcome – and needed! Contact us at [email protected] or 631-581-6908 to get involved.
Related Information
Spotted Turtles
The Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a small, secretive, semi-aquatic species that is found in a wide variety of shallow wetland habitats and their adjacent upland areas. It was once considered the most common turtle in New York State and the New York City region.
West Brook
The only dam on West Brook, a major tributary of the Connetquot River, failed in 2019 and allowed the artificial pond behind it to drain. For the first time in over 100 years, the brook could once again flow naturally from its headwaters in Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park down to the tidal reaches of the Great South Bay. It is now one of a only a few free-flowing streams on Long Island. It has great ecological potential as a place where migratory fish can return and other native riverine species can once again find a home.
Horseshoe Crabs
The horseshoe crab (Limulus Polyphemus) has been around practically unchanged for over 450 million years, categorizing it as a “living fossil”. These fascinating creatures aren’t actually crabs at all, as they don’t fall under the subphylum “crustacea,” which includes blue crab, spider crabs and other true crabs.