SUN NEWS (Chicago, Illinois) 21 August 03 Saving old turtles, one egg at a time - DuPage County Forest Preserve wins award for reptile recovery (Jan Ramming)
The Midwestern Blanding's turtles grow to be only 5 to 10 inches long and enjoy hanging out near prairie wetlands, ponds or lakes. They can be identified by their yellow chin and throat, and by the yellow speckles on their shells.
But what makes these little turtles most interesting is their life span — Blanding's turtles mature slowly, and they can live to be more than 70 years old.
In 1994, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County began studying the turtles in their natural habitat to find out why their population was declining. They found most of the turtles were in their 40s and 50s, and very few were younger than 20. It turned out most of these turtles that could have lived to be 70 were not even making it out of their nest.
"In the wild, the predators are so effective, there is a 90 percent mortality rate in the nests," said Dan Thompson, a staff member of grounds and resources for the DuPage forest preserve district. "If we're lucky, maybe 10 percent will make it — even getting a chance to hatch is pretty low."
So in 1996 the Forest Preserve District began "head starting," or protecting the eggs before they hatch and ensuring hatchling and yearling survival.
Tiny radio transmitters are affixed to the shells of adult female Blanding's turtles. Each spring, the females are located and recovered just before they lay their eggs. They are taken to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, and district staff induces labor. The females are then returned to their natural habitat, but their eggs are placed in hobivators, similar to human incubators, at Willowbrook.
For those turtles that may have already dropped their eggs in their natural environment, district staff collects their eggs from nests. These eggs also are kept safe, warm and moist in hobivators, while their progress is monitored.
The district had some success this year in bringing some females in to nest in captivity without having to induce them. Thompson said it would like to build off that success in future years.
The turtle hatchlings spend their first year at Willowbrook and their second year at the Wheaton Park District's Cosley Zoo. At age 2, after a substantial size and weight gain making them less prone to predation, the turtles are released into natural wetland habitats in county forest preserves.
The district's species recovery program has gained a lot of attention. This year, the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials has announced the district's recovery plan is a winner of the 2003 Park and Recreation Program award, an award that recognizes exceptional programs as outstanding examples to emulate. Only two national awards in this category are given each year.
"We're overcoming one obstacle by saving the eggs. That was a tremendous impact because so many eggs were being preyed upon," Thompson said. "In time, we may help turtles find a better habitat and make it harder for predators to get them. Our end result is that we are hoping to eventually reach a point where the Blanding's will be a self-sufficient population and we won't have to manipulate it."
Saving old turtles, one egg at a time