Spring is Turtle Time

IMPROVING HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE

By Jen Adams, Director of Land Stewardship

Turtles You Might See in Our Area

Dutchess County is home to a variety of turtle species, ranging from common to rare. Among the most frequently spotted are the painted turtle, snapping turtle, box turtle, and sometimes the invasive red-eared slider. Our turtle species plays an important role in the local ecosystem as prey, predators, and indicators of water quality. Most turtle populations in New York State are declining, primarily due to habitat loss. Winnakee is working locally to change this!

***Baby snapping turtle at Vlei Marsh***

Turtles as Indicators of Wetland Health

Turtles are important indicators of the health of wetland ecosystems. They depend on a diverse range of aquatic organisms as food, many of which are sensitive to changes in water quality. For example, macroinvertebrates like mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies are a common food source for turtles that are highly sensitive to pollution in wetlands. Unfortunately, pollutants like runoff from farms and roads and litter can significantly threaten the health of these species and our wetland ecosystems. By monitoring and protecting turtle populations and their habitats, we can understand the water quality in the entire wetland and improve habitat for a wide array of species that depend on these wetlands, such as salamanders, frogs, snakes, beavers, muskrats, and many other important wildlife species.

Breeding and Nesting Behavior

During the spring, turtles begin breeding and seek out sunny areas with sandy or loose soil for laying nests. These ideal conditions sometimes lead them to lay their eggs in places that can conflict with human activities, such as compost bins, gravel pits, lawns, fire pits, or along walking trails. Wherever possible, it’s important to leave these nests undisturbed and protect them from human interference. However, in certain cases like compost bins where temperatures can become dangerously high for turtle eggs, you can reach out to a local wildlife expert for advice on how best to handle the situation.

**Turtles tend to like sandy areas, loose soil or gravel to lay eggs. Do not disturb them or the female could abandon the nest.**

Winnakee Land Trust’s Turtle Monitoring Program

Winnakee Land Trust has recently launched a turtle monitoring program in partnership with The Wetland Trust to understand the current populations of turtles at our preserves and to implement management actions to enhance their habitat. A key focus of the program is identifying areas where turtles frequently cross roads to reach their breeding grounds. Animals often rely on multiple types of habitat across a landscape and roads can contribute to habitat fragmentation by cutting off access to certain habitat types. For example, turtles may spend most of their time in swamps or marshes but must travel to drier areas to nest, which could be across busy roads. By creating breeding sites closer to wetlands, we hope to reduce the need for these dangerous road crossings. Ultimately, our goal is to lower the number of turtle road strikes and minimize mortality among all turtle species. Through monitoring, protection, and stewardship of turtle habitat, Winnakee is able to do critical conservation work that will benefit wildlife, water quality, and the humans that depend on these ecosystems.