Please note that all specific location information has been removed from this document to protect the Blanding’s turtle populations 1 Final Report to Nongame Wildlife Office, Minnesota DNR, Brainerd, 56401 Title: Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) at Camp Ripley: critical habitats, population status, management guidelines. Investigators: Dr. Jeffrey W. Lang, Associate Professor, Biology Todd Sajwaj, MS candidate, Biology Steve Piepgras, MS candidate, Biology University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202 contacts: JWL, phone 701777 4564; fax 701 777 2623 email:
[email protected] Collaborators: John Moriarty, Henn. Co. Parks,, (consultant) Carol Dorff Hall, Mn Co Biol Survey, (advisor) Dr. Justin Congdon, Sav. River Ecol. Lab (advisor) Time Period: 1 January 1996-31 December 1997. Location: Minnesota Army National Guard, Camp Ripley Training Site, Little Falls, Minnesota Final Report Completed: March 1998 Abstract: Recent studies in Minnesota indicate that Blanding's turtle is long-lived, reproduces over many seasons, and utilizes a mosaic of widely spaced wetlands and uplands. Effective conservation requires information about population status and detailed data on seasonal habitat use by all age/ sex classes. In this report, we provide an introduction and background on the study species, describe the study site and our study methods, present the results, and then discuss our findings in light of previous studies. Finally, we make recommendations on managing the habitats critical to the continued well being of the Blanding's turtles at Camp Ripley and surrounding areas, and on monitoring and managing the turtles, particularly in delineated areas where significant numbers of the population are known to nest, spend the summer months, and overwinter.