Help us find mud crabs so that we can learn more about how an introduced parasite (Loxothylacus panopaei or Loxo for short) is affecting them. Loxo is a parasitic barnacle that takes over the nervous system of affected mud crabs and makes the crab care for the parasite and the parasite's larvae.
Loxo is native to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean and was first discovered in Chesapeake Bay in 1964. The parasite is now common in the Bay, but its abundance and spread vary greatly from year to year. Scientists in SERC's Marine Invasions Lab have been tracking the abundance of Loxo from sites around Chesapeake Bay since 2003 (watch a short video that features the project’s scientists).
Where?
Edgewater, MD (SERC dock)
August 6th, 15th, 17th, and 20th
St. Leonard, MD (Len’s Marina)
August 8th
Oxford, MD (NOAA Cooperative Oxford Laboratory)
August 9th
Please note that transportation to Oxford and St. Leonard will not be provided.
For those who register, you will receive additional details (including directions, what to wear, what to bring, and a safety overview) in an email two days before the event.
Time?
We will be sampling 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
The end time (3 PM) is the maximum time a session will last, and we may end earlier depending on the number of crabs in the collectors.
Who can participate?
We welcome volunteers age 12+, although all volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a participating adult. Volunteers younger than 12 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. All volunteers (including accompanying adults) must be included in the sign up.
No prior experience is expected or required. The project researchers will provide training day-of and will be there to answer all your questions.
Jim Gibb, director of SERC Environmental Archaeology Lab (Credit: Jeremy Norwood/Norwood Photography)
The landscape of southern Maryland bears little resemblance to what it was 300, 200 and even 100 years ago. Archaeology has uncovered the movement of soils and the creation of new hills and basins. Join Jim Gibb, head of the Smithsonian Environmental Archaeology Lab, for a journey across an ever-changing terrain. Starting at SERC’s historic 1735 Woodlawn House, he will narrate how a port town was buried in sediment, how garbage from Baltimore and Washington became a crucial resource for farmers, and how Eastern Europeans gradually came to reside on once-abandoned Maryland farms.
This webinar will be recorded! Closed captioning will be available on both the live event and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you’ll be able to join live and receive a link to the recording approximately one week after it airs.
