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Eastern Box Turtle Study
 Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) populations have been declining in recent years. This is largely because of urbanization, building roads through their habitats, and partially collection for pets. In an effort to help protect the remaining turtles, studies are being done on their populations and ranges. We are using radio telemetry to determine the home ranges of some of the turtles in the park. Radio telemetry is done by attaching a radio transmitter to an animal. The animal can then be tracked using a receiver that picks up the transmitter's signal. Currently, we have transmitters on four turtles (three females and one male). Volunteers and interns track these turtles three to four times each week. Every time the turtle is found, its GPS coordinates are taken as well as information about the weather and the habitat it was found in, as well as the time and date. The coordinates are then put into a computer to map out the turtles’ range, and the other information is put into spread sheets. This study has been going for several years, and several turtles besides the current four have been tracked. In addition to the tracking, every turtle found in the park is weighed, measured, and marked. We use a notch code system to identify the turtles. We also record recapture information to keep track of the population. Currently, we have found and marked 69 turtles in the park. The GPS coordinates for their original locations and recapture locations are also recorded and mapped on the computer.
Thread Survey
A recent addition to the program is a thread survey. This is done by attaching a spool of thread to a turtle, and tying it to a flag or tree at the turtle's starting point. Then, as the turtle walks, the thread will unroll, allowing us to see exactly where it went, how far it went, what habitat it went through, etc. We have found that unscented dental floss works best for the string, and that Duck brand duct tape is the best attachment method. Duck tape works well because it is very temporary; the turtle can pull it off if it gets stuck, tangled, or runs out of string. The primary focus of this study is to find out if any females are nesting in the park. So far, we have not had any definite nests, but one turtle's string did show signs that it might have nested. While finding nesting females is the primary focus, we are also putting spools on males to get data about their movements.
How You Can Help
You can help the remaining box turtle populations in several simple ways. First, if you see a turtle crossing the road, please stop and help it. Move it to the side of the road that it was heading towards and let it go. A lot of box turtles get killed crossing roads, so just moving them across is a big help. Second, don’t relocate turtles. Do not take the turtle and release it somewhere else, even if you think it is safer for it there. If you take a turtle from its home and put it somewhere else, it might try to get back to where you found it. This often causes it to cross roads where it might get killed. Also, relocating turtles can cause diseases to spread between populations, and it alters the gene pool. Finally, don’t take box turtles home as pets. They need to be left in the wild.
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