The Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) in the Northeast United States: A Regional Conservation Strategy Prepared by: Stephanie Egger, Wildlife Biologist Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, Inc. with Contributions from the Diamondback Terrapin Working Group Prepared for: Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Northeast Regional Conservation Needs Grant Program 2016 Made possible by State Wildlife Grants and funded by the Northeast Regional Conservation Needs Grant Program. REGIONAL CONSERVATION NEEDS GRANT PROGRAM The Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) in the Northeastern United States: A Regional Conservation Strategy was supported by State Wildlife Grant funding awarded through the Northeast Regional Conservation Needs (RCN) Grant Program (RCN Grant 2013-02). The RCN Grant Program joins thirteen northeast States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a partnership to address landscape-scale, regional wildlife conservation issues. Progress on these regional issues is achieved through combining resources, leveraging funds, and prioritizing conservation actions identified in the State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). See http://RCNGrants.org. COVER IMAGE: Female Northern diamondback terrapin © Brian Tang i STATE AGENCY PROJECT LEADS AND/OR CONTRIBUTORS New Hampshire (for technical support) Michael Marchand, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Concord, New Hampshire Massachusetts Dr. Jonathan Regosin, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, Massachusetts Rhode Island Chris Raithel, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, West Kingston, Rhode Island Connecticut Jenny Dickson, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Burlington, Connecticut Brian Hess, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Burlington, Connecticut New York Kelly Hamilton, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Stony Brook, New York Michelle Gibbons, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Stony Brook, New York John Ozard, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, New York New Jersey Jeanette Bowers Altman, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Trenton, New Jersey Michael Davenport, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife/Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Trenton, New Jersey Delaware Holly Niederriter, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, Smyrna, Delaware Robert Meadows, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Delaware Maryland Scott Smith, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, Maryland Virginia Ruth Boettcher, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Machipongo, Virginia J.D. Kleopfer, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Charles City, Virginia Rebecca K. Gwynn, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Richmond, Virginia ii CONTRIBUTORS AND COLLABORATORS *Indicates Major Contributor Massachusetts Dr. Barbara Brennessel, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts Don Lewis and Sue Wieber Nourse, Cape Cod Consultants, Marion, Massachusetts Bob Prescott, Massachusetts Audubon, Lincoln, Massachusetts Mark Faherty, Massachusetts Audubon, Lincoln, Massachusetts Nina Coleman, Sandy Neck, Centerville, Massachusetts Robert Cook, Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet, Massachusetts Rhode Island Charlotte Sornborger, Barrington Land Conservation Trust, Barrington, Rhode Island Dr. Malia Schwartz, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island Dr. Nancy Karraker, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island Sarah Helmbrecht, Rhode Island Connecticut Dennis Quinn, CTHerp Consultant, LLC, Connecticut Alisha Mullett, SoundWaters, Stamford, Connecticut Leigh Shemitzm, SoundWaters, Stamford, Connecticut New York Dr. Russell Burke, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York Laura Francoeur, Port Authority of NY and NJ, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York Michael Farina, Marine Nature Study Area, Oceanside, New York Dr. Noga Neeman, Via/Hofstra University, New York City, New York Dr. Matt Draud, formerly of Long Island University (CW Post), Brookville, New York Nancy Grant, Friends of Flax Pond, Stony Brook, New York Karen Testa, Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, Inc., Jamesport, New York New Jersey Dr. John Wnek, Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Manahawkin, New Jersey Brett Bragin, NJ Sports & Exposition Authority, Lyndhurst, New Jersey Dr. Lisa Ferguson, The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, New Jersey Brian Williamson, The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, New Jersey William Doughty, Margate Terrapin Rescue Project, Margate, New Jersey Kimberly Lull, Margate Terrapin Rescue Project, Margate, New Jersey Michael Davenport, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ/ NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Robbinsville, New Jersey Dr. Brooke Maslo, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey Karen Leu, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey Dr. Richard Bastian Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey Statistician students - Samantha Giordano, Amanda Sutton, Rebecca Lloyd, Taylor Bernosky, Austin Alcott, and Megan O’Donnell, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey Ben Wurst, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Woodbine, New Jersey Kathy Lacey, Terrapin Nesting Project, High Bar Harbor, New Jersey Sarah Moss, Terrapin Nesting Project, High Bar Harbor, New Jersey (with St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA) Delaware E.J. Chalabala, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware iii Maryland Paula Henry, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland Willem Roosenburg, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio (Maryland terrapin Work) Marguerite Whilden, The Terrapin Institute, Neavitt, Maryland Jeff Popp, The Terrapin Institute, Neavitt, Maryland Virginia Dr. Randy Chambers, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia Timothy Russell, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia Dr. Donna Bilkovic, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Pt., Virginia Kory Angstadt, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Pt., Virginia Diane Tulipani, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Pt., Virginia Robert Isdell, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Pt., Virginia Dr. Matthew Stone, Kutztown University, Kutztown PA (Virginia terrapin work) Karen Terwilliger, Terwilliger Consulting Inc., Locustville, Virginia Julie Victoria, Terwilliger Consulting Inc., Locustville, Virginia Dr. Elizabeth Crisfield, Terwilliger Consulting Inc., Locustville, Virginia iv TECHNICAL REVIEW Technical review of all or part of this draft was graciously provided by: Dr. Barbara Brennessel, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts Dr. Malia Schwartz, University of RI, Kingston, Rhode Island Jenny Dickson, CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Burlington, Connecticut Dr. Russell Burke, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York Jeanette Bowers-Altman, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Trenton, New Jersey Dr. John Wnek, Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Manahawkin, New Jersey Dr. Lisa Ferguson, The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, New Jersey Brian Williamson, The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, New Jersey Holly Niederriter, DE Division of Fish and Wildlife, Smyrna, Delaware Ruth Boettcher, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Machipongo, Virginia v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We cannot overstate the value of the generous contributions and support of many individuals who serve as members and terrapin experts of the Diamondback Terrapin Working Group (DTWG) and provided occurrence data and expert opinion to this Conservation Strategy. Over 65 biologists and partners from all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions, as well as unaffiliated individuals have provided important information and support reflected in this Conservation Strategy. We recognize the collective on-going efforts to conserve terrapins in the Northeast (NE) and throughout the species range. Forty partners and over 65 total datasets from the NE region graciously provided databases of terrapin occurrences that were essential to the building of the occurrence GIS layer (see Appendix A). We are forever grateful for the organization of the occurrence data by Michael Davenport (Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, Inc., [CWFNJ]/NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife) who built the GIS layer used to identify current terrapin occurrence, data gaps, as well as for use in further analysis. This GIS layer was essential to the probability of occurrence model conducted by Karen Leu and Dr. Brooke Maslo (Rutgers University) that will serve as an important conservation tool that can be used by all researchers and partners to analyze threats throughout the entire NE. We’d like to thank the researchers and partners of the NE Region who provided mark/recapture data for the population modeling including Mark Faherty of Massachusetts Audubon (records from many partners from Massachusetts [MA], 1980 to current), Charlotte Sornborger (Barrington Land Conservation Trust, Rhode Island), Dr. Russell Burke (Hofstra University, New York [NY]), Michael Farina (Marine Nature Study Area, [NY]), Dr. John Wnek (Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, New Jersey [NJ]), and Brett Bragin (NJ Sports & Exposition Authority, NJ). We are especially grateful for the expertise of Dr. Noga Neeman (Via/Hofstra University, NY) who performed the modeling work and