CONCORD, N.H.---Last summer, six rare Blanding's turtles became pioneers of a sort. As the subjects of a cooperative Fish and Game Department study, they helped chart new territory for the good of their own species and other reptiles and amphibians.
By trapping and monitoring the movements of the turtles, which were fitted with inch-long, cylindrical radio transmitters, researchers in southern New Hampshire were able to keep track of their whereabouts and determine those wetland habitats in which the hard-shelled creatures spent most of their time. The transmitters are glued to the rear of a turtle's top shell in a such a way that they will not impede the turtle's travels. Traps baited with cat food and sardines were used to enlist the turtles in the study.
The turtle trapping and monitoring efforts were part of a two-year study to discern the wetland preferences and amount of buffer zones they need between themselves and human development. Teams of biologists and volunteers focused their searches for the low-density reptiles on two areas of the state. John Kanter, coordinator of Fish and Game's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, led a team looking for the turtles in the Hopkinton area, while Tracy Tarr, a UNH research technician, led a team in Durham and Newmarket. Biologists from the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program are coordinating the project, which also involves the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, UNH and local volunteers.
The study is funded under a grant from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information, visit the NH Fish and Game Department's website.
