NECWA News Blog

Here are some upcoming events that NECWA will be participating in the spring and early summer.  Plymouth Farmers Market – Winter Market April 27, 2023, from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm Visitors Center, Plimoth Patuxet Museum, 137 Warren Ave., Plymouth, MA https://www.plymouthfarmersmarket.org   Join NECWA at our educational table focused on our email campaign to better protect the Horseshoe Crab. We will also have fun hands-on activities for market participants focused on this email campaign, including a block printing activity and a 3-D paper cut-out of a Horseshoe Crab. The Plymouth Farmers Market is a wonderful place to pick-up fresh, local produce, meats, and cheeses at the market and to support farmers focused on agricultural diversity, food economy, and food literacy.     Cooler Middleboro Festival: April 29, 2023, from 11 am to 2 pm. Middleboro High School gym, 71 E. Grove St., Middleboro, MA.   A free, fun, educational event for all ages to learn a...

Watercolor by Kathy Miller Horseshoe Crabs ( Limulus  polyphemus ) Horseshoe Crabs are a marine crustacean that has lived on planet earth for over 445 million years. This living fossil plays an important role in marine ecosystems and in human health. However, Horseshoe Crab populations are decreasing across the state of MA and more needs to be done to protect them. Learn about this amazing and ancient species and see how you can help protect the Horseshoe Crab in Massachusetts' waters. Overview: Horseshoe Crabs are bioturbators that dig-up bottom sediments in search of prey or when nesting in shallow water. The shell of the Horseshoe Crab is often covered in algae, slipper shells, and barnacles that hitch a ride on this slow-moving, tank-shaped animal. Horseshoe Crabs help control populations of various benthic invertebrates targeted as prey and they themselves are a food source for other marine animals. The fertilized eggs of Horseshoe Crabs are an important source of energy for m...