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May-June 2011 Nature’s News SPECIAL EDITION Volume 4, Issue 3 May—June 2011 Nature Abounds Partners with Year of the Turtle Turtles are in seri- awareness, Partners in Year of the Turtle. ous trouble. The Interna- Amphibian and Reptile Currently, tional Union for the Con- Conservation (PARC), 328 species of turtles servation of Nature has proclaimed 2011 as are known world- (IUCN), an organization the Year of the Turtle. wide, and they are that maintains a compre- Through out- being impacted by a hensive list (Red List) of reach efforts to research- variety of major Green Sea Turtle the status of the world's ers, educators, natural threats, to which many destroyed, developed, species, categorizes 47% resource managers, and are gradually succumb- and polluted. Populations of all living turtle species the public, the “Year of ing. In overwhelming are shrinking nearly eve- as threatened. Because of the Turtle” campaign numbers, turtles are be- rywhere. the issues surrounding tur- aims to increase U.S. ing collected, traded, and Species world- tles and the need to raise involvement in local-to- eaten or otherwise used. wide are threatened and national turtle issues. They are used for food, vulnerable, many are State and federal wildlife pets, traditional medi- critically endangered, agencies, along with sev- cine—eggs, juveniles, others teeter on the very eral conservation and adults, body parts—all brink of extinction, and a turtle organizations, are are exploited indiscrimi- few have already been partnering with PARC to nately, with little regard lost forever. Eight spe- help spread the word for sustainability. On top cies and two subspecies about the plight of tur- of these targeted attacks, having gone extinct since tles. Nature Abounds is their habitats are being 1500 AD. an official partner of the increasingly fragmented, In this Issue: World Turtle Day—May 23rd American Tortoise toises and turtles in caring Meet Max, Rescue a nonprofit organiza- homes. ATR assists law Nature Abounds 3 tion established in 1990 for enforcement when under- Spokes-turtle the protection of all species size or endangered turtles of tortoise and turtle, is are confiscated and pro- Around the sponsoring its 11th annual 4 vides helpful information Globe World Turtle Day on May and referrals to persons 23rd. The day was created with sick, neglected or as an annual observance to abandoned turtles. from the wild, and the Across the USA 6 help people celebrate and According to ATR breeding stock is drastically protect turtles and tortoises co-founder Susan Tellem, “ reduced.” She noted that and their disappearing habi- “We are seeing smaller experts predict the complete How You Can Back tats around the world. turtles coming into the res- disappearance of one of the Help Turtles Cover Since 1990, ATR cue meaning that older world’s oldest creatures has placed about 3,000 tor- adults are disappearing within the next 50 years. P a ge 2 www.NatureAbounds.org Volume 4 Issue 3 North America’s Smallest Turtle Mortality Rate Spikes “The U.S. Fish and Wild- tiles in the past few years. The bog tur- life Service has made bog turtle tle is North America’s smallest turtle recovery a priority,” said Alison and reaches only 4.5 inches in length Whitlock, Northeast Region Bog and as many ounces. Turtle Recovery Coordinator for The Wildlife Conservation So- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- ciety’s (who has been involved in the vice. “We are working with many study and conservation of bog turtles partners from state agencies, non- since 1973) veterinarians will join forc- governmental organizations, and es with other health experts to find out private landowners to address the why these bog turtles are getting sick. threats to this species. Working WCS health experts and federal and with the Wildlife Conservation state wildlife managers are currently Society to conduct this health as- locating wild turtles for health assess- ©USARMY.MIL sessment addresses one of the re- ments to determine these baseline con- covery objectives, and we are ditions and possibly identify a common tional levels and is federally listed looking forward to continuing this cause to explain recent turtle mortality. as “Threatened,” and partnership in conservation.” After conducting a physical exam of “Endangered” in New York State The announcement last individual turtles, health experts will and Massachusetts. One of the week comes after wildlife manag- collect a number of samples—blood, threats is habitat loss. The number ers working in known bog turtle feces, cloacal swabs, biopsies—for lat- of known habitats for the threat- habitats in the Northeast have re- er analysis. ened northern population of the ported higher than average mortal- The species is currently pro- bog turtle is shrinking. ity rates for these threatened rep- tected on state, national, and interna- Pollution and Turtles in Florida in 2006 and 2007. Group northern waters are more polluted, members measured and weighed the but the scientists point out that turtles, took blood samples, and exam- turtles that migrate eat more, and ined their reproductive systems with therefore consume more pollu- testicular biopsies. They were then fit- tants. Migrating turtles were on ted with satellite transmitters and re- average larger than the permanent ©NIST leased. Over two months, 10 of the ani- residents. The animals seemed One of the many threats mals traveled north as far as Cape May, healthy, researchers said, but what loggerhead sea turtles face is man- N.J., while nine remained near their constitutes good health in an adult made pollution, but the extent of starting point at Cape Canaveral. male loggerhead is not clear. the risk is a question. A recent The study found that the turtles “These were reproductive- study looked for the answer as had measurable blood levels of 67 dif- ly active animals,” said Jennifer scientists measured contaminants ferent chemicals used in pesticides and M. Keller, a co-author of the study in the blood of a group of adult other industrial products. The logger- and a biologist with the National male turtles and tracked their mi- heads that migrated had higher levels Institute of Standards and Tech- gration along the Atlantic Coast. than those that stayed near Florida, nology (NIST). “But the males Led by Jared M. Ragland, confirming prior research that found have higher blood levels of con- a graduate student at the College more pollutants in turtles in northern taminants than the juveniles, and of Charleston, in Charleston, S.C., latitudes. It is possible that the fish and that adds to our concern.” the group captured 19 loggerheads invertebrates that turtles feed on in www.NatureAbounds.org Volume 4 Issue 3 P a ge 3 Meet Maximillian Terrepene, Nature Abounds Spokes-turtle My name is Maximillian friends I met along my travels to get Terrepene. My friends call me Max. to their office. I’m about 10 winters old, and I’m an Nature Abounds told me they Eastern Box Turtle. would help in any way they could if I I was brought home by a could help teach them what I know. I, child when I was really small of course, agreed because I realized (illegally), and as the child grew he that without them knowing what me lost interest in me so the family just and my relatives are dealing with how took me out into the woods and re- could they know how to change leased me. Before they released me, things and make it better for all of us. I watched them using their computer I plan on working with the and saw the Nature Abounds page staff at Nature Abounds for the rest of when they were looking at the Watch my life (another 90+ years if all goes Watch for “ Max’s Facts ” in future the Wild program. Well, long story well) spreading the word about turtles editions of Nature’s News short I am a smart guy and I remem- also called tortoises and teaching all I bered the address. know about my other friends in the I stopped by the Nature wild that I've met in my journeys. Abounds office and asked them if If you are internet savvy, you they could help me spread the word can follow me on Facebook. I’m also about myself and my relatives and on Twitter. Turtles and Plastic Don’t Mix In March, a disturbing re- tles around the world, creatures alarming rate. In the 1960s, less than port was released that chronicles that easily mistake plastics for food 1 percent of waste was plastic, but what decades of plastic pollution items like jellyfish. According to today it makes up to 80 percent of in our oceans has done to sea tur- the report, about half of all sur- all waste that accumulates on land, tles. One of the more troubling veyed sea turtles have ingested shorelines, on the ocean surface or stories from the report highlights plastic. on the seabed. an instance of a green sea turtle Of course, sea turtles aren't Coauthor of the report, Dr. that swallowed so much marine the only marine animals imperiled Wallace J. Nichols said, "The sci- pollution that it pooped plastic for by plastic. Plastic debris ensnares ence is becoming crystal clear: sea a month. marine mammals like seals, and turtles and plastic pollution don't Upon rescuing the turtle in plastics are commonly discovered mix well. Sea turtles have spent the 2009, marine biologists in Florida in the stomachs of whales, dolphins past 100 million years roaming seas noticed that the turtle was having and fish. Micro-plastics have also free of plastic pollution, and are now problems digesting food.
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