REHOBOTH BEACH — The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays is continuing preparations for the 2021 survey season by hosting additional trainings for volunteer participants this April. Every year, the Center hosts several volunteer-driven surveys to collect data on important species, such as horseshoe crabs and diamondback terrapins, as indicators of the health of their coastal environments.

This marks the second year of the Center’s diamondback terrapin survey, and the first in which volunteers will be able to participate.

For three nights at high tide around the first full and new moon starting in late April 2021, volunteers will meet on six beaches around the Inland Bays. With flashlights in hand and bug repellent in their pockets, they will count the number of horseshoe crabs, collect additional data on this iconic species and even tag some horseshoe crabs to better understand their movements in the Bays and nearby estuaries.

This year, all survey trainings will be held online through Zoom. Pre-registration is required, and all volunteers must fill out a volunteer application and waivers, all of which are available online.

The Inland Bays Volunteer Horseshoe Crab Survey virtual training will be held at 6 p.m., Wednesday. Interested volunteers can register here. To learn more about the survey, go here.

The training for the Reforestation Survey will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday. Interested volunteers can register here.

The training for the Diamondback Terrapin Survey will be held at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. Interested volunteers can register here. To learn more about the survey, go here.

Additional trainings for the Center’s new Osprey Survey, James Farm Docent Program and Shorezone Fish & Blue Crab Survey were held in March.

To learn more or to participate in the Center’s volunteer programs, go here or email volunteer@inlandbays.org.