DOCSLIB.ORG

Year of the Turtle News No

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Year of the Turtle News No Year of the Turtle News No. 5 May 2011 Basking in the Wonder of Turtles www.YearoftheTurtle.org Diamondback Terrapins, Malaclemys World Turtle Day terrapin, by Scott McDaniel Don’t forget – May 23 is World Turtle Day! World Turtle Day, sponsored every year since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, was established to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises. Turtle Day is celebrated worldwide in a variety of ways, including dressing up as turtles, assisting turtles crossing One Year After the roadways (when conditions are safe), Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and taking part in research activities Taking Stock: (such as citizen science volunteer by Priya Nanjappa, Jim Godwin, and David Dimitrie programs). Do you have plans to The Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill that began on April 20, participate in World Turtle Day? If so, 2010 was an incident of unprecedented magnitude. In its aftermath, attention we encourage you to send information focused on the disastrous effects of oiled marshes, soiled beaches, and to [email protected] devastated economies dependent upon natural resources. As herpetologists, on how you are participating. We many of us and our colleagues were also particularly interested in how the also encourage submission of stories spread of oil would affect sea turtles and Diamondback Terrapins occurring in and pictures of your World Turtle those coastal zones. Although we do not have the full answer yet, as you will Day events and activities after May read below, considerable work is ongoing to monitor turtles in this region and 23 for highlighting in a future issue to maintain those species of greatest conservation concern. of Year of the Turtle News. More info Because of the ongoing investigations and legal matters pertaining to this on World Turtle Day is available at spill, it is difficult to get an unvarnished assessment of how these animals www.tortoise.com. are doing, one year later. As we all Inside: page saw in photos that were on the news Turtle Art, Stories & Poetry 2 and internet, many individual oiled animals were observed and cleaned Year of the Turtle Partners 3 if possible. However, the overall Calendar Photo Contest Update 6 impact is yet to be determined, as Turtles in the News 7 the oiling of habitats and animals Citizen Science Programs 8 continues to occur. We present here An Interview with Whit Gibbons 9 a snapshot of what is happening across the Gulf Coast states, and we SWPARC Regional Spotlight 10 thank our friends and colleagues in Emydoidea blandingii, Blanding’s Turtle, by Ryan Miller Upcoming Meetings 12 Continued on p. 4 “Behold the turtle. He makes progress when his neck is out.” — James Bryant Conant (1893-1978), educator and scientist Year of the Turtle News No. 5, May 2011, p. 2 Brontosaurus Web comic by xkcd. Find more at www.xkcd.com Submit Your Turtle Art, Stories, and Poetry Do you have a turtle story or piece of art that could be highlighted during Get Your May Calendar! the Year of the Turtle? How about poetry, such as this submission by PARC Joint National Steering Committee Co-chair Dede Olson: This month’s calendar photo contest winner is Sara Viernum. Brilliant turtle photos Sara is a herpetologist and enjoys Touch hearts and souls as words can’t working with all kinds of reptiles Take my breath away and amphibians, especially salamanders. She attended school Submit your turtle art (in jpg, tiff, or pdf format) and copies of your in the Southeastern US and studied stories and poems via email to [email protected]. We will the natural history and habitat be including submissions in upcoming newsletters and in other Year of the selection of the green salamander Turtle materials and outreach efforts throughout 2011, and we want your (Aneides aeneus). Sara currently work to be part of it! lives in Portland, Oregon where she is busy learning about the diversity of herpetofauna of the Pacific Northwest. See this month’s winner (above) and runner-up at www.parcplace.org/YOT YearoftheTurtleCalendarMay.pdf Loggerhead Musk Turrtle, Sternotherus minor minor, by Sara Viernum. This Year of the Turtle sculpture was created by Dede Olson and made its debut at the NW PARC and SNVB/WA TWS meetings in Gig Harbor, Washington, in March. Created out of a disk sled, a plastic bowl, a children’s coat rack, and a lot of papier mache, the sculpture comes apart into several pieces, but it still filled up the entire back seat of the car. Year of the Turtle News No. 5, May 2011, p. 3 Year of the Turtle Collaborating Partners The Year of the Turtle Planning Team is pleased to welcome the following organizations to our growing list of collaborating partners: The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is a state agency whose mission is to conserve, enhance, and restore Arizona’s diverse wildlife resources and habitats through protection and management programs, and to provide wildlife resources and safe watercraft and off-highway vehicle recreation for the enjoyment, appreciation, and use by present and future generations. AGFD’s Turtles Project manages and conserves Arizona’s turtle species through statewide population monitoring, creation and implementation of state conservation agreements, public outreach, and coordination between state, federal, and private agencies. www.azgfd.gov/turtle. The Association of Reptilian & Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) is a not-for-profit international organization of veterinarians, veterinary technicians and students, and herpetologists. The organization was founded in 1991 with the goal to improve reptile and amphibian husbandry and veterinary care through education, exchange of ideas, and research. ARAV promotes conservation and humane treatment of reptiles and amphibians through education, captive breeding, and habitat preservation. ARAV publishes the Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery, organizes an annual conference, and provides funding for research. www.arav.org Biotopo Rain Forest is a natural reserve that contains habitat with natural formations and very significant flora and fauna species for science and the natural environment. Here, wildlife has been little altered by the actions of man. The reserve has been created with the purpose of providing a protected natural space to conserve a representative sample of the tropical Pacific forests of Nariño in south Colombia. Turtle species here include Chelydra acutirostris and Rhinoclemmys nasuta. www.biotopo.es.vg The Herpetology Group at the University of Quindio (Grupo de Estudio en Herpetologia de la Universidad del Quindio - GEHUQ) is located in Armenia City, Quindio, Colombia, South America. Our mission is to preserve the amphibians, lizards, snakes and turtles present in the coffee region of Colombia through research, and to educate the community to live alongside them so future generations can know and enjoy them. Our area is home to two species of turtles – Kinosternon leucostomum and Chelydra acutirostris. grupoherpetosuniquindio.blogspot.com The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) is responsible for the conservation of the state’s wildlife and the habitats on which wildlife depends for the benefit and enjoyment of citizens and visitors. Year of the Turtle efforts are coordinated through DFW’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (www.nhesp.org) and include agency newsletter articles, training sessions for citizen scientists and utilities staff, technical assistance for property owners, headstarting hatchling programs, production and promotion of turtle events across the state, and creation of turtle publications. www.mass.gov/masswildlife Our full list of partners can be found at www.parcplace.org/yearoftheturtlepartners.htm. If you are interested in contributing to the Year of the Turtle efforts, please send an email to [email protected] with a brief description of your organization and its efforts. Year of the Turtle News No. 5, May 2011, p. 4 Taking Stock, contined from p. 1 Green Sea Turtles, Chelonia mydas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and by Rick Swart. Florida who are working on turtle conservation efforts in the affected areas, and were gracious enough to provide us with the following information. The Louisiana coast was hardest hit due to its proximity to the spill source; for the same reasons, the state is also heavily involved in the current investigations and legal cases. Our colleagues at the Louisiana the recent increase in sea turtle deaths impact assessment in Alabama. This Department of Wildlife and Fisheries occurring along the Mississippi coast. research includes population and provided the following statement: So far there is no evidence this related reproduction assessment of terrapins “Louisiana and other state and to the oil spill. along the Alabama coast. It also federal natural resource trustees are includes the evaluation of polycyclic still collecting ephemeral data and The overall impact is aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants assessing injury. Our shoreline and yet to be determined, and stress hormone levels in this species our resources are still experiencing as the oiling of habitats of highest conservation concern oil and it would be premature at in Alabama. Read more at http:// this point in the assessment to draw and animals continues www.uab.edu/news/reporter/ conclusions regarding the amount of to occur. news/item/1102-wibbels-marion- injury or cumulative effects on our assess-oil-spill%E2%80%99s- resources.” While Alabama beaches and impact-on-terrapin- coastal marshes escaped, for the most turtle?tmpl=component&print=1. part, the devastating oiling seen in The results of the research will many parts of coastal Louisiana, its provide basic information needed impacts on coastal wildlife are still to assess both acute and long-term a concern. Minor oiling occurred in effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil some of the marshes of the Mississippi spill on the Diamondback Terrapin Sound in south Mobile County in Alabama.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Year of the Turtle News No
    Year of the Turtle News No. 1 January 2011 Basking in the Wonder of Turtles www.YearoftheTurtle.org Welcome to 2011, the Wood Turtle, J.D. Kleopfer Bog Turtle, J.D. Willson Year of the Turtle! Turtle conservation groups in partnership with PARC have designated 2011 as the Year of the Turtle. The Chinese calendar declares 2011 as the Year of the Rabbit, and we are all familiar with the story of the “Tortoise and the Hare”. Today, there Raising Awareness for Turtle State of the Turtle Conservation is in fact a race in progress—a race to extinction, and turtles, unfortunately, Trouble for Turtles Our Natural Heritage of Turtles are emerging in the lead, ahead The fossil record shows us that While turtles (which include of birds, mammals, and even turtles, as we know them today, have tortoises) occur in fresh water, salt amphibians. The majority of turtle been on our planet since the Triassic water, and on land, their shells make threats are human-caused, which also Period, over 220 million years ago. them some of the most distinctive means that we can work together to Although they have persisted through animals on Earth. Turtles are so address turtle conservation issues many tumultuous periods of Earth’s unique that some scientists argue that and to help ensure the continued history, from glaciations to continental they should be in their own Class of survival of these important animals. shifts, they are now at the top of the vertebrates, Chelonia, separate from Throughout the year we will be raising list of species disappearing from the reptiles (such as lizards and snakes) awareness of the issues surrounding planet: 47.6% of turtle species are and other four-legged creatures.
    [Show full text]
  • AN INTRODUCTION to Texas Turtles
    TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE AN INTRODUCTION TO Texas Turtles Mark Klym An Introduction to Texas Turtles Turtle, tortoise or terrapin? Many people get confused by these terms, often using them interchangeably. Texas has a single species of tortoise, the Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlanderi) and a single species of terrapin, the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). All of the remaining 28 species of the order Testudines found in Texas are called “turtles,” although some like the box turtles (Terrapene spp.) are highly terrestrial others are found only in marine (saltwater) settings. In some countries such as Great Britain or Australia, these terms are very specific and relate to the habit or habitat of the animal; in North America they are denoted using these definitions. Turtle: an aquatic or semi-aquatic animal with webbed feet. Tortoise: a terrestrial animal with clubbed feet, domed shell and generally inhabiting warmer regions. Whatever we call them, these animals are a unique tie to a period of earth’s history all but lost in the living world. Turtles are some of the oldest reptilian species on the earth, virtually unchanged in 200 million years or more! These slow-moving, tooth­ less, egg-laying creatures date back to the dinosaurs and still retain traits they used An Introduction to Texas Turtles | 1 to survive then. Although many turtles spend most of their lives in water, they are air-breathing animals and must come to the surface to breathe. If they spend all this time in water, why do we see them on logs, rocks and the shoreline so often? Unlike birds and mammals, turtles are ectothermic, or cold- blooded, meaning they rely on the temperature around them to regulate their body temperature.
    [Show full text]
  • In AR, FL, GA, IA, KY, LA, MO, OH, OK, SC, TN, and TX): Species in Red = Depleted to the Point They May Warrant Federal Endangered Species Act Listing
    Southern and Midwestern Turtle Species Affected by Commercial Harvest (in AR, FL, GA, IA, KY, LA, MO, OH, OK, SC, TN, and TX): species in red = depleted to the point they may warrant federal Endangered Species Act listing Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) – AR, GA, IA, KY, MO, OH, OK, SC, TX Florida common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina osceola) - FL Southern painted turtle (Chrysemys dorsalis) – AR Western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) – IA, MO, OH, OK Spotted turtle (Clemmys gutatta) - FL, GA, OH Florida chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia chrysea) – FL Western chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia miaria) – AR, FL, GA, KY, MO, OK, TN, TX Barbour’s map turtle (Graptemys barbouri) - FL, GA Cagle’s map turtle (Graptemys caglei) - TX Escambia map turtle (Graptemys ernsti) – FL Common map turtle (Graptemys geographica) – AR, GA, OH, OK Ouachita map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis) – AR, GA, OH, OK, TX Sabine map turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis sabinensis) – TX False map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) – MO, OK, TX Mississippi map turtle (Graptemys pseuogeographica kohnii) – AR, TX Alabama map turtle (Graptemys pulchra) – GA Texas map turtle (Graptemys versa) - TX Striped mud turtle (Kinosternon baurii) – FL, GA, SC Yellow mud turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) – OK, TX Common mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum) – AR, FL, GA, OK, TX Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) – AR, FL, GA, LA, MO, TX Diamond-back terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) – FL, GA, LA, SC, TX River cooter (Pseudemys concinna) – AR, FL,
    [Show full text]
  • A Significant Range Extension for the Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys Versa) and the Inertia of an Incomplete Literature
    Herpetological Conservation and Biology 9(2):334−341. Submitted: 3 January 2014; Accepted 15 February 2014; Published: 12 October 2014. A SIGNIFICANT RANGE EXTENSION FOR THE TEXAS MAP TURTLE (GRAPTEMYS VERSA) AND THE INERTIA OF AN INCOMPLETE LITERATURE PETER V. LINDEMAN Department of Biology and Health Services, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 230 Scotland Road, Edinboro, PA 16444, USA, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract.—Defining the limits of a species’ geographic distribution is fundamental to research in biogeography, ecology, and conservation biology. The Texas Map Turtle, Graptemys versa, is endemic to the Colorado River drainage in central Texas but has been incorrectly reported by several sources to be restricted to the part of the Colorado drainage located on the Edwards Plateau, northwest of the fault lines of the Balcones Escarpment. I conducted visual surveys of basking turtles, vouchered with photographs, which demonstrate that even statements that the species occurs mainly above the Balcones Escarpment are incorrect. I observed higher numbers and higher relative abundances within basking turtle assemblages throughout the five counties downstream of the Edwards Plateau, in over 400 river km of the Colorado, and an abundant population was observed just 48 river km from the river’s mouth in coastal Matagorda County. Literature statements regarding restricted limits of freshwater turtle geographic ranges should be critically appraised for their accuracy. Surveys that are conducted beyond published range limits must also be detailed not just for new records but also for negative results, in order to enable future workers to properly evaluate statements about range limits. Key Words.—Balcones Escarpment; Colorado River; Edwards Plateau; range limits; relative abundance; Texas INTRODUCTION one or more range states (Lindeman 2013).
    [Show full text]
  • Aspects of the Life History of the Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys Versa)
    Am. Midl. Nat. 153:378–388 Aspects of the Life History of the Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa) PETER V. LINDEMAN1 Department of Biology and Health Services, 150 Cooper Hall, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro 16444 ABSTRACT.—The Texas map turtle (Graptemys versa) is endemic to the Colorado River drainage in southcentral Texas. A study of its life history was undertaken using data collected in 1998–2000 from a population in the South Llano River, southernmost tributary of the Colorado drainage, and data from museum specimens that had been collected from the South Llano River in 1949. Compared to congeners, G. versa is a small-bodied species. Its small body size is, predictably, linked to relatively small clutch size, small egg size, rapid growth toward asymptotic size and early maturation. As many as four clutches may be laid during an active season, although the effects of follicular atresia on clutch frequency are not known. Both clutch size and egg width were positively correlated with female body size, with the former relationship having a log-log slope significantly less than the expected value of 3, probably due to the latter relationship. Analyses were consistent with the hypothesis of anatomical constraint on egg size, with at least smaller females laying eggs that are of less than optimal size. No differences were found in body size or clutch size between 1949 and 1998–2000 despite a large- scale change in diet associated with invasion of the river by Asian clams (Corbicula sp.). However, body size is substantially reduced in the South Llano River compared to other sections of the Colorado drainage, a finding mimicked by at least one other turtle species in the drainage, Pseudemys texana.
    [Show full text]
  • Literature Cited
    NORTHWEST FAUNA 7:93-102 2012 LITERATURE CITED AGASSIZ L. 1857. Contributions to the natural history BETTELHEIM MP, THAYER CH, TERRY DE. 2006. of the United States of America. Volume I. Boston, Actinemys marmorata (Pacific Pond Turtle). Nest MA: Little, Brown and Company. 452 p. architecture/predation. Herpetological Review 37: ANDERSON DR, BURNHAM KP, FRANKLIN AB, GUTIER­ 213-215. REZ RJ, FORSMAN ED, ANTHONY RG, WHITE GC, BICKHAM JW, IVERSON JB, PARHAM JF, PHILIPPEN H, SHENK TM. 1999. A protocol for conflict resolution RHODIN AGJ, SHAFFER HB, SPRINKS PQ, VAN DIJK in analyzing empirical data related to natural PP. 2007. An annotated list of modern turtle resource controversies. Wildlife Society Bulletin terminal taxa with comments on areas of taxo­ 27:1050-1058. nomic instability and recent change. In: Shaffer ANDREWS KM, GIBBONS JW, JOCHIMSEN DM. 2008. HB, FitzSimmons NN, Georges A, Rhodin AGJ, Ecological effects of roads on amphibians and editors. Defining turtle diversity. Chelonian Re­ reptiles: A literature review. In: Mitchell JC, Jung search Monographs 4:173-199. Brown RE, Bartholomew B, editors. Urban herpe­ BIDER JR, HOEK W. 1971. An efficient and apparently tology. Salt Lake City, UT: Society for the Study of unbiased sampling technique for population stud­ Amphibians and Reptiles. p 121-143. ies of painted turtles. Herpetologica 27:481-484. ARESCO MJ. 2005a. Mitigation measures to reduce BOARMAN W, GOODLETT T, GOODLETT G, HAMILTON P. highway mortality of turtles and other herpeto­ 1998. Review of radio transmitter attachment fauna at a north Florida lake. Journal of Wildlife techniques for turtle research and recommenda­ Management 69:549-560.
    [Show full text]
  • Press Release
    Education for Nature - Vietnam P.O. Box 222 Ha Noi, Vietnam Tel/Fax: +84 4 3514 8850 Email: [email protected] Website: www.envietnam.org March 9, 2010 Press Release NEW CHELONIAN VISITOR CENTER PROMOTES CONSERVATION OF VIETNAM’S TORTOISES AND FRESHWATER TURTLES Hanoi, March 10, 2010 – Cuc Phuong National Park opened the doors to the region’s first visitor interpretation center focused exclusively on the conservation and protection of tortoises and freshwater turtles. Located on the grounds of the park’s Turtle Conservation Center (TCC), the new educational facilities incorporate a range of interpretive displays and exhibits including underwater viewing tanks, a turtle egg incubation and hatchling room, and a mock hunting camp and forest trail. This new educational component of the park’s turtle conservation center was developed to promote efforts to protect turtles amongst the park’s approximately 80,000 annual visitors. “We hope the new Chelonian Interpretation Center will help the public understand more about turtles and the crisis our turtles face as a result of hunting and trade,” says Bui Dang Phong, Vice Director of Wildlife Conservation and Rescue Centers at Cuc Phuong National Park. “Vietnam’s turtles are being hunted to the point of extinction. Many species’ survival may be contingent upon getting the public to understand the problem and actively becoming involved in their protection.” ENV also marks the opening of the center with the release of two new important resources intended to support law enforcement agencies in their efforts to reduce the illegal trade of turtles. A short film produced by ENV on the Asian turtle crisis provides forest rangers and park managers with an introduction to turtles and an overview of the threats they face, as well as some basic information on dealing with confiscations.
    [Show full text]
  • Heinrich and Walsh (2019)
    THE BIG TURTLE YEAR LOOKING FOR WILD TURTLES IN WILD PLACES By George L. Heinrich and Timothy J. Walsh e like looking for wild turtles in wild We both liked turtles as kids, but now, many places. From the time George was in years later, we understand the important ecological Welementary school catching Wood roles they play. Some turtle species serve as indica- Turtles in southwestern Connecticut and Tim tors of environmental health, while others are clas- found his first pebble-sized Striped Mud Turtle sified as keystone species (those that play a vital at age 10 in a south Florida stream, we have both ecological role in a given habitat), umbrella spe- marveled at being in nature and searching for these cies (those whose conservation benefits the larger fascinating reptiles. As children, little did we know ecological community), or flagship species (iconic that our time spent exploring our neighborhood symbols of habitat conservation efforts). Perhaps woods would lead to rewarding careers in wildlife one of the best examples of the ecological signifi- conservation. Now we are both officers with the cance of turtles is the Gopher Tortoise, an imper- Florida Turtle Conservation Trust, an organization iled species that occurs in a six-state range within working to conserve Florida’s rich turtle diversity. the Southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States. In 2017 we created the opportunity of a Appropriately, the Gopher Tortoise was the first lifetime with the Trust’s conservation education species we found on day one of The Big Turtle Year. initiative: The Big Turtle Year, an ambitious plan to travel across the United States and back again SoutheaSt Regional highlightS trying to find as many species as we could.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigations of the Ecology of Graptemys Versa and Pseudemys
    LINNAEUS FUND RESEARCH REPORTS 223 aged 5.6 eggs (range 4-9 eggs). Average egg dimensions for Che Ionian Conservation and Biology , 200 I, 4( I ):223-224 Cl 200 I by Chclonian Research Foundation 32 eggs obtained by oxytocin injection were 35.26 mm for length(range33.0-38.4mm)and20.87mmforwidth(range Investigation s of the Ecology of 18.4-22.2 mm). Graptemys versa and Pseudemys texana Mature male P. texana ranged from 78-162 mm PL in Southcentral Texas. (mean 122.2 mm, n =62). Female P. texana ranged from 95- Linnaeus Fund Research Report 234 mm PL (mean 178.8 mm, n = 54). The minimum size of gravid females was 213 mm PL and the mean size of females 1 this size or larger was 222.6 mm PL (n = 13). Clutch size of PETER V. LINDEMAN four females radio graphed in 1999 averaged 8.3 eggs (range 1Department of Biology and Health Services, 7-9eggs). Average egg dimensions for23 eggs obtained by 150 Cooper Hall, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, oxytocin injection were 42.19 mm for length (range 39.9- Edinboro, Pennsylvania, 16444 USA 44.7 mm) and 26.96 mm for width (range 26.0-27.6 mm). [Fax: 814-732-2593; E-mail: [email protected]] Diet.- Mollusks were abundant in the diet of 12 female G. versa from 1949 and 16 females captured in 1998- 99. Ernst et al. (1994) published an exhaustive compen­ Insects were abundant in the diet of male G. versa (which are dium of literature citations for the chelonian fauna of North much smaller than females, as in other Graptemys; Ernst et al., America.
    [Show full text]
  • Graptemys Barbouri)
    Species Status Assessment Report for the Barbour’s Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri) Adult female Barbour’s map turtle, Chipola River, FL. (credit: Jonathan Mays, FWC) May 2017 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 Atlanta, GA This document was prepared by Lisa Yarbrough (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Panama City, FL Ecological Services Field Office) with assistance from Dr. Sean Blomquist (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Panama City, FL Ecological Services Field Office) and Andreas Moshogianis (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Region 4/Southeast Regional Office). Valuable peer reviews of a draft of this document were provided by John Jensen (Georgia Department of Natural Resources), Jonathan Mays (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Jim Godwin (Alabama Natural Heritage Program), Lora Smith (Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Georgia), Sean Sterrett (University of Massachusetts), and Marshall Williams (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Region 4/ Southeast Regional Office). We appreciate the time and effort of those dedicated to learning and implementing the SSA Framework, which resulted in a more robust assessment and final report. Suggested reference: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2017. Species status assessment report for the Barbour’s Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri). May, 2017. Atlanta, GA. Barbour’s Map Turtle SSA Page ii 2017 Species Status Assessment Report For Barbour’s Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri) Prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This species status assessment (SSA) reports the results of the comprehensive status review for the Barbour’s map turtle (Graptemys barbouri), documenting the species’ historical condition and providing estimates of current and future condition under a range of different scenarios.
    [Show full text]
  • Chelonian Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan 4Th Edition December 2015
    Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Chelonian Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan 4th Edition December 2015 Editor Chelonian TAG Steering Committee 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Mission ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Steering Committee Structure ........................................................................................................... 3 Officers, Steering Committee Members, and Advisors ..................................................................... 4 Taxonomic Scope ............................................................................................................................. 6 Space Analysis Space .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Current and Potential Holding Table Results ............................................................................. 8 Species Selection Process Process ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Decision Tree ........................................................................................................................... 13 Decision Tree Results .............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • VIETNAM Fact Sheet
    COUNTRY : VIETNAM Capital City : Hanoi Most Populous City : Ho Chi Minh City Population : 97,793,803(2020 census) Language: Vietnamese Currency : Dong (VND) Bordering Countries : China in the North, Cambodia and Laos on west, shares its maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia through the South China Sea TRADITIONS / FESTIVALS Tet Nguyen Dan (Lunar New Year) : Jan/Feb the biggest festival of the year with the whole country downing tools for family get-togethers. Principally a religious celebration, don’t expect too much of a wild party, but it’s still a fascinating time to visit Vietnam and you’ll certainly find locals lighting fireworks, visiting temples with their families, and the interesting sight of many flower stalls set up as giving flowers is customary during Tet. Best celebrated in Hanoi NATIONAL EMBLEM Hue Festival: Apr/May/Jun every two years ALTITUDE (HIGHEST POINT): This is a biannual celebration that takes place in UNESCO-listed Hue City. One can enjoy an array of cultural events, games, and performances held over a week. Founded in 2000, the festival was held to preserve Fan Si Peak,, 10,312 feet (3,143 metres traditional customs that were practised during the Nguyen Dynasty. If you’re visiting Hue in April, May or June, expect unique showcases such as the Hue Poetry Festival, Dialogue of Drums and Percussions, and Ao Dai CLIMATE: Fashion Shows, sporting activities like kite flying, boat racing, and human chess, as well as street performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. Nov - April Winters with Moisture, avg annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the mountains, Temp Perfume Festival: Mid-Feb/Mar Perfume Festival draws throngs of local pilgrims from all over Vietnam to Hanoi’s iconic Perfume Pagoda, inSouthern plains vary betn 21 - 35 deg.
    [Show full text]