CHRONICLE-HERALD (Halifax, Nova Scotia) 08 August 05 Wood turtles snap up new home on Annapolis River (Ian Fairclough)
Annapolis Royal: The Department of Natural Resources is trying to determine the extent of a mysterious wood turtle population on the east end of the Annapolis River watershed.
Amy Marsters, a forestry technician assistant with Natural Resources, says the department only became aware of the turtles a couple of years ago after a teacher and parent volunteer at a local school brought in proof that they were in the Valley.
The turtles - listed as vulnerable under the province's Endangered Species Protection Act - are native to the province east of Halifax and Amherst, but not in the western end.
Ms. Marsters said while the department only became aware of the turtles recently, people in the area are saying they've seen them for up to 15 years.
"It's one of those things where no one thought it was anything special because they'd always seen them," she said.
The emergence of the Valley population could be a result of being released or escaping after being brought to the area by pet traders, people bringing them home from the cottage or even aboriginal trade long ago, she said.
It is illegal to sell, trade or keep turtles as pets or to move them from one place to another.
With the help of the Clean Annapolis River Project, Natural Resources started a survey of the population this year. So far only 26 individual turtles have been found in a small area, putting the estimated population right now at 40 to 50.
Denise Sullivan, who co-ordinated work on the survey by Clean Annapolis volunteers, said the goal is to determine the population's size, distribution and type of habitat.
"We tried to get as many early on as we could," she said. "We have to get them on land in early spring when they move a bit slower." Later in the year they move up to five kilometres from the water's edge and the grass is taller, so finding them is difficult.
The survey started in mid-April and was held back by heavy rains and flooding in May. It wrapped up for this year near the end of June and will continue next year.
Ms. Marsters said the long-term goal is to find out the number of breeding turtles, young ones and how long they've been in the Valley.
The turtles are identifiable by a light brown shell that looks like carved wood. The skin on the bottom of the legs is orange and the underside of the shell is yellow with black markings.
Anyone spotting what they think is a wood turtle is asked to call Natural Resources and provide a description. Ms. Marsters has been putting up posters with photos telling people what the department is doing.
People who spot the turtles are advised not to handle them, and instead take a picture.
If one is found in the middle of the road, Ms. Marsters said she doesn't mind if someone picks it up and moves it off to the side in the direction it was heading, "but they have to leave it. They can't put it in the car."
Beside being run over in traffic and by farm equipment, other threats to the turtles include destruction or alteration of habitat and predators such as raccoons, which eat the eggs and young turtles.
Snapping turtles can also go after young turtles, and Ms. Marsters said most of the wood turtles found in the survey had injuries ranging from stubby tails that appear to have been bitten off to missing legs.
The turtles can live up to 50 years, but don't start reproducing until they're 15 or so. Eggs are laid in June and usually hatch in October, but if conditions aren't right they may not hatch until spring.