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Why turtles cross the road — and what you can do to help them

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By Joshua Perry, 2022 NECWA Intern Wareham, MA. June 27, 2022 — On the morning of June 14, three diamondback terrapins were struck and killed by cars while crossing the Weweantic Bridge, the busy Route 6 thoroughfare linking the towns of Wareham and Marion. A concerned motorist, Mike Maurer from Marion, managed to save a fourth terrapin and notified NECWA of the other fatalities. It was a shocking tragedy and a clear sign that terrapins and other turtles are in grave danger on our roads. The Weweantic Bridge is a known hotspot for these accidents: nearby terrapins come ashore looking to nest and are funneled on to it, ending up in the middle of mid-morning traffic. NECWA is working with local and state authorities to find a solution to this problem and to increase awareness of the bridge’s safety issues. The reality is that adult female terrapins are running out of options when it comes time to nest each year. Urban encroachment, coastal armoring, and rising sea levels are eroding
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Dwindling Horseshoe Crab Populations Need More Attention

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by Ben Waltz, 2022 NECWA Intern In the early parts of the Summer, when horseshoe crabs are most abundant, volunteers perform surveys to better understand how the horseshoe crab population is faring. New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) is one of the organizations that volunteers to take part in these surveys, organized by Mass Audubon. The data from these surveys is sent to the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) who then use this information to make decisions about the best conservation practices for horseshoe crabs. One of the perks of these surveys is that you get to be at the beach, enjoy the nice weather, and learn. When I took part in a survey, I got to see what goes on behind the scenes. One thing I learned quickly was that female horseshoe crabs tend to be much larger than males. Size alone isn’t enough to tell them apart which is why we need to flip them over and check their pincers. Male’s pedipalps have an appearance that looks like a boxing glove
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Happy Earth Day 2022

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  What am I doing this Friday on Earth Day?  Working with Dani and Amy in the NECWA office on diamondback terrapin data and preparing for a new season of field research and rescues. What do I wish on this Earth Day? That NECWA had more Members to support the work we do. What can I do to make this happen? Reach out to my friends and family and ask for their continued interest and support. NECWA needs your support to keep us in the field researching and rescuing marine wildlife (actually any wildlife), especially those 'mis-fit" species ignored by others. NECWA is all volunteer which means that each of us volunteers our time and expertise on behalf of local wildlife. I am so proud of all the work we do and am amazed at all we have and will continue to accomplish as volunteers. However, each of us struggles to juggle NECWA activities with other responsibilities, including family, work and our health.   How can you help? Become a member of NECWA and keep us going! Your support wi
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Summah Auction to Benefit NECWA

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SUMMAH AUCTION   May 29 — June 11, 2022 The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance is organizing an online auction from May 29th to June 11th. 100% of the net proceeds goes towards NECWA’s important marine wildlife research & rescue work and our internship program for high school & college students, which provides young professionals with hands-on experiences in the field of marine science. Subscribe to our newsletter to get up-to-date information on the auction. https://app.robly.com/.../3356b861fbb67ddf.../NECWAsubscribe NECWA needs your help! We are looking for donations of goods and services to be auctioned. This could be tickets to a performance, a basket of goods from your store or company, golf packages, spa packages, a boat tour... or perhaps something you can offer that we have not thought of yet! Sponsorships are welcome, and for your sponsorship, we will include your company name, logo, and link to your website (as appropriate) on our auction materials. If you are int
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Marine Wildlife Sighting and Response Numbers

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It is often difficult to know what organization to call if you sight a live animal swimming offshore or a distressed animal that has stranded on a beach.  Below is a list of numbers that we hope you will find helpful.  Marine Animal Entanglement Response Overseeing organization - Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) Focus: to report sightings of live or dead entangled marine animals Rescue Hotline Number: 800-900-3622 Sea Turtle Sighting Hotline for Southern New England Overseeing organization - Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay Focus: to report live or dead sightings of sea turtle in the waters of southcoast MA Hotline Number: 1-800-888-Sea-Turt (1-888-732-8878) website:  https://seaturtlesightings.org Cold-stunned Sea Turtle Sightings   Overseeing organization - Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay Focus: to report sightings of live or dead stranded, cold-stunned sea turtles Rescue Hotline Number: 508-349-2615 x 2104 Ocean Sunfish and Basking Shark Sightings  Overseeing organization - New England C
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Presenting to Mass Maritime Academy Cadets

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NECWA in action is what it is all about! We understand the importance of educational outreach to interested young professionals like the Cadets at Mass Maritime Academy. Last week, Krill Carson and Helen Granger presented NECWA's work with marine wildlife strandings to a group of interested cadets. At the end of Krill's presentation, Jack Gerrior and Coleman Earner talked about their experiences with NECWA last fall and early winter as they worked with NECWA through the college's coop program. Both were eager to talk about their work and experiences out in the field rescuing live animals and documenting dead ones. Jack and Coleman were amazing members of our team last fall and we miss them very much. But we are so proud of all of their work and accomplishments.
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Natural History Museum hosts presentation on protection of local wildlife Nov 9, 2021 To see the article online, click Sippican Week The Marion Natural History Museum welcomed the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance last week to learn about what can be done to rescue Diamondback terrapins and Ocean sunfish in the area. Terrapins live in the brackish coastal waters off our coast and nest along our sandy beaches. Ocean sunfish swim in the open waters along our coast and due to their distinctive dorsal fins — which wave above the water surface — are occasionally mistaken for sharks when viewed from a distance. The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance showed attendees how they are working to protect terrapins as well as helping sunfish who find themselves stranded in water too shallow for them to escape and get back out to the open ocean. The museum thanked Krill Carson and the volunteers at the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance for all their work protecting these important species.
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Earth Day 2021

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Happy Earth Day from all of us at NECWA. Each day we have the opportunity to do something positive for Mother Earth. Some actions are small like using reusable bags at the grocery store and some are big, like purchasing an electric vehicle. No matter how significant the action, each one makes a difference, especially when we combine actions and work together. Lets' work hard to make every day Earth Day. Our survival depends on a healthy and diverse planet as does the survival of all life on Earth. We are connected, we are One!
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