Mass Audubon Presents: Horseshoe Crabs & Oysters

Mark Faherty, Science Coord., Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and

Ian Ives, Director, Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

Two Classes, Friday April 23 and 30 from 1:30 – 3:00

4/23: Horseshoe Crabs Explored

Horseshoe crabs have been around for 350 million years, adapting to and withstanding change. Mark will discuss the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary’s horseshoe crab research program, horseshoe crab behavior, biology, conservation, management, monitoring and tagging.

4/30: The Incredible Edible Oyster

Oysters have become all the rage with their power to clean our embayments, their delicious taste and amazing health benefits! Ian will discuss their natural history, the threats they face and the ecosystem services they provide.

Additional Background on the Presenters:

Mark Faherty, Science Coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary from 2007 to present, has led birding trips for Mass Audubon since 2002. While his current projects involve everything from oysters and horseshoe crabs to bats and butterflies, he has studied primarily bird ecology for the past 20 years. Mark’s Weekly Bird Report airs each Wednesday on WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station. Along with Mindy Todd, he also co-hosts Bird News, a monthly call-in segment on WCAI’s The Point.

Ian Ives, Director at Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture, Ashumet, Barnstable Great Marsh and Skunknett River Wildlife Sanctuaries on Cape Cod, holds a Masters degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch University. His job responsibilities include overall management of the sanctuaries and staff , community outreach, environmental stewardship and education.