Conservation
The American Wood Turtle:
The American Wood Turtle or Glyptemys insculpta is native to North America and can be found from Virginia to Minnesota to Nova Scotia. The turtles are omnivores with their diets consisting of plants both on land and in the water. The wood turtle reaches a straight carapace length of 14 to 20 centimeters (5.5 to 7.9 in), with a characteristic pyramid shaped shell. The turtles like to live in and around shallow streams, but can venture into forest and grasslands on occasion. The turtles prefer to nest in sandy areas near the river banks where they can bury their eggs, and sunny fields for nests are also preferred by the turtles to keep their eggs warm. In terms of wood turtles' life patterns they can travel an average of 100 meters a day, which is quite long for turtles, they hibernate in the winter and rest in the hottest months of the summer.
The Concept:
The turtle predator guard concept was largely pioneered by Mr. Mike Anderson and the Audubon Society. The concept is relatively simple, but incredibly effective at protecting turtle eggs from destruction. The reason predator guards are so necessary is due to the 80%-100% destruction rate of wood turtle eggs in traditional nests. The eggs are destroyed or eaten by foxes, raccoons, and other wildlife. However, turtle predator guards are proven to reduce that percentage substantially by protecting the eggs from larger predators. The guards work as follows: the adult turtle digs into the guard or walks through the hole in the guard to lay eggs inside (or the guards will be placed over top of the eggs)- when the baby turtles hatch, they are able to escape via the openings in the guards that are strategically placed on the stream side of the wooden frame. The guards protect the eggs via their wooden frames and wire-mesh tops.
The Project
The wood turtle predator guard project was started in February of 2020. The project was created and developed by Andrew Noviello, an Eagle scout from Troop 46, and Mr. Mike Anderson, the Director of the Scherman-Hoffman Audubon Society. Andrew Noviello led the project as part of his pursuing of the William T. Hornaday Award via the Boy Scouts of America Program. The project was conducted in multiple stages. In February and March was the planning phase in which the project designs were sketched and the dates were set for the building and installation. The turtle guards were built in the month of April, with the frames first and then the mesh netting on top. The turtle predator guards were then installed in late Spring/early summer. The project was monitored for the following year by the scout and after that by the Audubon Society. Hopefully this project has and will continue to make a positive impact on the wood turtle population at the Audubon Society for years to come.
Research Document Link:
Here is the link to my research document for the turtle predator guard project:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1liyt4RQYjuW1nQQbmGFV_0PonuFLY4lSlg607FRUF6E/edit?usp=sharing
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