Earthwatch Board Members Visit our Site!

October 20, 2011 was a red-letter day in our research at Barnegat Bay. We had 50 very special visitors come to the Lighthouse Center - The Earthwatch Institute's Executive Board! While many of them have worked behind the scenes to help fund, implement, organize, and support our expeditions, it was very exciting for these board members to see what it is really like to be a volunteer on our project. Some board members were from the main Earthwatch headquarters in Boston, while others traveled from as far as Japan, England, and Brazil for this meeting!

We split into two large groups, with half of the group going out on the R.V. Peter Kilham for a tour of the bay, and half of the group going out in small boats to check traps. In the afternoon, we switched. We really lucked out on weather, and although it was windy, the sun was shining like a day on the bay in August! Because it was so late in the fall, water temperatures are not ideal for terrapins to be swimming around much so we did not expect to catch many in our traps. Low and behold, not only did the board members find terrapins, we caught two NEW captures in our hoop nets - a record for that time of year! You can see in this picture how thrilled everyone was to catch their very first terrapin:

Overall, the visit was incredibly successful, even beyond catching terrapins. It was a wonderful opportunity for the board members to see how all of their hard work pays off for the Earthwath volunteer's experience. In addition, it was neat for us, as scientists, to learn more about the organization behind Earthwatch, and put names with faces. Since, we've felt much more connected to our funding org., and some incredible collaborations have flourished.

Injured Terrapins in Barnegat Bay

For the past six summers, Earthwatch volunteers have been essential members of our team. Without volunteers, we would not be capable of trapping and processing the hundreds of diamondback terrapins that we capture each year in the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge. One of the many important findings from our research is that we are catching more injured terrapins each year.

Typically, we go out in small motor boats in the morning to check or set turtle traps. We bring the captured terrapins back to our laboratory which we affectionately refer to as the Marine Station. In the Marine Station, we "process" the terrapins with the help of our Earthwatch volunteers. Basically, this means that we measure (mass and various shell lengths) and mark each individual terrapin with unique codes that allow us to recognize that specific terrapin in case we catch it again in the future. We also check each terrapin for the presence of new or healed injuries. We've been keeping a record of the presence and location of each injury for each individual terrapin since 2006. The most common injuries include missing limbs and shell damage to the carapace (top shell) or plastron (bottom shell). We also frequently capture terrapins with boat propeller injuries. These types of injuries are easy to identify due to the major damage to the carapace and plastron, and most times you can actually see a telltale slash mark through the terrapin.

The figure at the top of this post shows the frequency of major terrapin injury in the northern and the southern parts of the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge over the past six years. Only major injuries are included here, and major injuries were considered to be missing limbs or major damage to the shell, head, or tail. When the Earthwatch project started in 2006, only 13% of the terrapins we captured had major injuries. However, we found that 23 to 24% of the terrapins captured this past summer had major injuries.

Terrapins can obtain injuries from natural and anthropogenic sources. Missing limbs are oftentimes attributed to land predators such as raccoons. Major shell damage tends to be due to anthropogenic (human-generated) impacts such as boat propellers or automobiles. There's not too much that we can do about natural causes of injuries; however, there are some steps we could take to decrease human-caused injuries. Partial or complete closures of some wildlife areas to boating may be necessary to protect terrapins from boat strike injuries. Boating speed limits could also be helpful, especially in sensitive areas such as near nesting beaches. In order to lessen the impact of human-generated injuries on the terrapin population in Barnegat Bay, we need to keep collecting data on terrapins and injury rates. If you want to help save the terrapins, please consider signing up for one of our Earthwatch expeditions. Earthwatch volunteers truly are indispensable members of our research team on the conservation of diamondback terrapins in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey.  

2011 New Jersey Society for the Conservation of Diamondback Terrapins

This year, the NJ Society for the Conservation of Diamondback Terrapins recognized Mrs. Dottie Reynolds for her outstanding contribution to the protection of terrapins on Long Beach Island. Dottie lives in an area with a high terrapin nest density, and she assists with females crossing the roadway, keeping them and their future hatchlings out of harms way. Dottie has worked on the LBI terrapin project for the past two years, and is a tremendous supporter of terrapin conservation. When you think about terrapin conservation, you definitely mention Dottie Reynolds in that conversation, every time. Congratulations Dottie and thanks for being so dedicated.

Terrapins in the Shark River? Still unknown

There has been some discussion over the possibility of diamondback terrapins living in the Shark River. Shark River is located in Monmouth County, NJ; it is a relatively small and shallow estuarine basin with no data to support the presence of terrapins. This summer (July 2011), the Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science (MATES), Drexel University, and interns with Monmouth University's Urban Coast Institute will pilot a mark and recapture study to hopefully answer this question. We will be working the weeks of July 4, July 18, and July 25 to capture diamondback terrapins.

The first week of trapping was on the south branch of the Shark River basin. The tidal range is great with traps sitting well, then beached during low tide. We caught a large snapping turtle (pictured) close to Brighton Road on July 7. We will resume trapping on July 18 in the north where there is more promising terrapin habitat than in the southern branch.

The second trapping session produced no terrapins during week one (July 17), but we are now concentrating efforts in Shark River Hills off S. Riverside and East End Avenues. After a second full week of trapping, we failed to capture any terrapins in Musquash Cove. Here is what we can report for this project:
1. Not a single terrapin was spotted basking anywhere along the banks of the masrhes
2. Not a single sign of nesting or even predation on nests was observed
3. Not a single terrapin was spotted in the water (which is not the case at Island Beach where we see them frequently)
4. Although trappins produced a snapping turtle, no terrapins were captured using baited hoop traps (in 360 hours of trapping). Compared to Island Beach with 30 terrapins caught in 360 hours).

Therefore, we cannot say "terrapins are not in the Shark River:, however, if terrapins are present, it would be a small population to say the least. Thanks to the Monmouth University students who were dedicated and did an outstanding job this summer!

2011 LBI Nesting Update

Thanks to the many volunteers that attended our LBI Nest Watch 2011 Program on Sunday May 22. This is part of a nest relocation program scheduled for Long Beach Island at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences (LBIF). The Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), Drexel University, and LBIF are conducting a project to identify nests, mark nests, and move nests that may be in areas with a high possibility of human disturbance. Nests that need to be relocated, will be moved to a hatchery at the LBIF in Loveladies, NJ. There will be an additional volunteer training session once terrapin nesting is underway! Thanks Marc and Jane for their work on June 2. Nicole M. moved a nest from a construction area to the LBIF on June 4. On June 6, Marc and Jane moves two nests and found one nest with 20 eggs in a clutch! This is the new high mark for Barnegat Bay. Today, June 9, another nest was moved to the Foundation. John is helping a female terrapin hit by a car on June 7 and rescued by Dave. Thanks Dave! Stay tuned for the predator project on High Bar Harbor with Kathy!

June 18 was a busy day, the High Bar Harbor Tax Payers Association heard from me and Kathy about the LBIF Project and the threat of raccoon predators. Marc and Jane have been doing a great job in relocating nests and working with Dottie in Barnegat Light. There are eleven nests in the hatcheries at LBIF as of June 18.
As of June 24, there are 15 nests at the LBIF hatchery. On June 24, we marked 8 females that nested at High Bar Harbor, Barnegat Light, and North Beach. Thanks to Jane and Marc for their tireless efforts in Barnegat Light, and look for Kathy's terrapin nest predator prevention project at High Bar Harbor.
Next on the schedule is our hatchling watch at the Foundation and recovery of emerged terrapins for release back to the wild. Contact John if you would like to survey the hatchery at the LBIF to check for emerged hatchlings. Nest #1 and Nest #5had hatchlings on August 9 and 10! Nest #14 produced hatchlings on Friday August 11 and Sarah called to report more on August 13. We've had over 64 hatchlings as per August 20, 2011. We excavated several nests on August 25, 2011 in preparation of Hurricane Irene. Of five nests, we were able to rescue 14 hatchlings. Nests #30 and #31 contained eggs that looked good. All other nests were assessed and hatchlings removed at the LBIF. We had a volunteer recognition ceremony on October 11 at the MATES school (see photo above) and we thanked our tremendous volunteers for their time and dedication to the conservation of terrapins!
Contact Dr. John Wnek for more information (projectterrapin@gmail.com).

Check out the LBI Foundation of the Arts and Sciences Science Website http://www.lbifscience.org/ProjectTerrapin.htm

Terrapin Outreach and Education

Look for us at Ocan Fun Day on Saturday May 19, 2012 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.  and the 15th Annual Barnegat Bay Festival on Sunday June 3, 2012 at Island Heights, NJ

Bycatch reduction device (BRD) distribution (free) is with the purchase of new crab pots at Lacey Marine, Square Deal Hardware, L & H Woods and Water, and West Marine

The 2011 Barnegat Bay Nesting Season

On May 31, there were multiple reports of terrapins nesting at Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Four marked adult female terrapins were captured on North Sedge Island and three of them dug nests. At Long Beach Island, two female terrapins nested. At LBI, we were not able to identify the nesting. The first days of June, we had ten female terrapins captured and six identified nests. On June 4, Nicole M. moved a nest from Cedar Bonnet Island to the LBIF hatchery and marked a female at LBIF! This week, June 5, Jane and Marc volunteered much time at Barnegat Light. They found a nest with a clutch size of 20 eggs!
At Sedge on June 10, it was the annual "terrapin arribada" with 23 females coming ashore. Five nests were moved and 17 females came up after 12 noon! It was a busy day. The previous night, it seems that the mink returned to the Island and destroyed all reference nests outside of the hatchery. Five known nests were predated. After Jules used her night vision camera, it was determined that a raccoon has inhabited the Island and is wreaking havoc on terrapin nests, and other wildlife on the Sedge. We will be humanely trapping the raccoon the week of June 20.
There has been no success trappin the raccoon this part week; however, nesting picked up on Sedge with 12 terrapins making landfall on June 23 and June 24. There are a total of 33 nests on the Island this year so far. On June 25, we had two terrapin nests on Sedge Island with 20 eggs each! This is new record. Terrapin AHPW produced 20 eggs on June 24. Terrapin AJKQW produced 20 eggs on June 25!
On July 3, the nesting season is coming to a close but we will still see some terrapins coming up from time to time for the next two weeks. Thanks to our fantasic volunteers.

On July 8, AHPW came back to dig her third nest of the season. She deposited 16 eggs! Way to go AHPW - one of originally marked terrapins from 2002! Next up will be our hatchling recovery program! On July 21, we assessed an early nest that has eggs that are incubating well. Our first nest produced emerged hatchlings at Sedge on August 10, 2011 with nests 1 and 2 producing hatchlings on consecutive days. We had two more nests with full incubation and emergence at Sedge. On August 20, nests 12 and 23 produced a total of 29 hatchlings out of a 29 eggs. On August 24, we completed a hatchery assessment with all nests in the 10's and 20's. Overall, we recovered over 70 hatchlings. Sadly, on August 31, we assessed the hatchery on N. Sedge Island and Hurricane Irene claimed the remaining nests. Washover from the storm knocked over the protection cages. It seems that some of the hatchlings were able to emerge; however, it seems that some predators were able to access the hatchery when the water was high (i.e., mink).