Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary
Re-dedication (Press Release) Original Exhibit Damaged by Hurricane Sandy On May 9, 2013 at 9:45 a.m. on the south beach, New Jersey Avenue, Fortescue, NJ, join the Downe Township Recreation Committee, Township officials, seniors, residents, the Ecological Research and Development Group (ERDG), and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary in the re-dedication of the Fortescue Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary and the associated outdoor exhibit panel. A few members of the community recently got together and re-installed the exhibit making possible this re-dedication. Hurricane Sandy had ripped the original exhibit from the beach, (pictured above) leaving behind only the exhibit panel, which was found buried in the sand. Downe Township is the first New Jersey community to participate in ERDG’s community-based Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary program, which also includes seven Bayshore communities in Delaware as well. In 2009, Downe Township voted to set aside a portion of its Delaware Bay shoreline for the celebration and recognition of the importance of this ancient mariner. The beaches along the Delaware Bay, including Fortescue, experience the largest spawning activity in the world in the months of May and June. The original exhibit panel and mounts were supplied by ERDG, the only organization in the world dedicated to the conservation of the remaining four horseshoe crab species. Township residents actively participate in ERDG’s “Just Flip ‘Em”© program, patrolling the beach daily and flipping over stranded horseshoe crabs so they can return to the water. The exhibit panel was funded by Partnership for the Delaware Partnership, which implements numerous education, outreach, science, management and policy goals to protect the Delaware estuary: a precious resource that means so much to so many. *Event organized and promoted by Kary Wilson-Dunkel, volunteers helped with the event's activities. Below is the flyer for the event and some photos from the Re-Dedication activities. 
In 2009, Downe Township voted to set aside a portion of its Delaware Bay shoreline as a sanctuary in celebration and recognition of the importance of this ancient mariner.
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Photos by Kary Wilson-Dunkel