THE CAPITAL (Annapolis, Maryland) 14 July 05 Turtle Lady opens sanctuary on South River (Wendi Winters)
As Maryland's top terrapin expert, Marguerite Whilden spent 30 years at the Department of Natural Resources. She ran a program distributing hundreds of hatchlings to schoolchildren and other volunteers to raise then release into the wild. She lobbied for a law mandating the use of turtle-resistant crab pots. She encouraged an aggressive program of buying turtles caught in fishermen's nets.
In 2003, the governor eliminated Ms. Whilden's job amid widespread budget cuts.
"The DNR program ended, but interest in turtles didn't," said Ms. Whilden, a St. Margarets resident and mother or two.
Ms. Whilden, known as the Turtle Lady, established the Terrapin Institute, which this year began leasing a portion of a wildlife refuge in the Loch Haven section of Edgewater, directly across the South River from Quiet Waters Park.
From there, she coordinates her programs designed to protect the diamondback terrapin population and secures community support or space to store hatchlings or wounded turtles, or tag the ones captured by watermen.
"I'm very happy we've found a home for Marguerite and all that she does with the terrapins," said Dennis Callaghan, director of the county Department of Parks and Recreation. "She has the credibility and the passion."
The sanctuary, which is off-limits to all unscheduled visitors, is "an ideal setting for hatchlings," she said. "They are protected from boaters."
She held up a large turtle. Its front legs had been rubbed raw from climbing on riprap and showed evidence of being banged about by a boat's propeller.
More ominous are the picnickers who scatter debris turtles can choke on, or devil-may-care campers who leave campfires burning.
Signs are being placed around the sanctuary warning boaters away, stating: "Please do not disturb the beach. No foot traffic. No Dogs!"
She's also concerned that poachers will find the site attractive to rustle turtle eggs and hatchlings for retail sale.
But even left undisturbed as a safe beachhead for terrapins to nest and lay eggs, less than 3 percent of all eggs produce live hatchlings and few of those survive to adulthood.
On a recent visit, Ms. Whilden pointed out several holes in the ground that appeared to be lined with shreds of beige paper. The shreds were turtle eggs that had been dug up by raccoons, ripped open and sucked dry of their contents.
On a bluff lay the dried carcass of a dead adult female who had come ashore to lay eggs. A raccoon had attacked it, dragged it up the bluff and tore open the underbelly to get at the eggs inside.
Other natural predators include foxes, hawks and eagles. Crows like to snap up turtle eggs, too. Turtle hatchlings are catnip for waterfowl and big fish.
Through a program she established, hundreds of turtle hatchlings have been distributed to school classrooms and private citizens across the state to care for until the critters are big enough to be released into the wild. Even Cantler's Restaurant got into the act and was raising terrapins in one of its large bay water tanks.
Ms. Whilden encouraged an aggressive program of purchasing turtles caught in fishermen's nets, paying an average of $4 per turtle. The reptiles are tagged on their shell with a red plastic tab and released back into the water. "We've had to purchase one turtle four times already," Ms. Whilden laughed.
The institute, run entirely by the unpaid Ms. Whilden, longtime intern Jeff Popp and occasional college interns, has also gotten help from the University of Maryland's Fear the Turtle Fund, Arlington Echo, Discovery Village in Shady Side, and PEPCO have also offered help.
Now the Institute is seeking alliances with private waterfront owners who are interested in establishing turtle habitats on their property.
"I want to work with incoming new owners, so they don't go directly to bulkheads or rip-rap," she stated, adding the institute can access experts who can advise homeowners of the benefits of natural shorelines versus "hardened" waterfront.
"If we're really going to save this bay, then let's do it. When we're in the middle of a heart attack, it's not time to go to the library to study up on it."
For more information about The Terrapin Institute and its programs visit www.terrapininstitute.org.
Turtle Lady opens sanctuary on South River