Terrapin Nesting Project 50% Complete Friday, July 8, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey Over the past few weeks, I've relocated 221 terrapin eggs, laid in unsuitable areas, to the hatchery setup on the dunes and protected by baskets and "predator eyes". I know of at least 8 other "safe nests", containing between 10 to 20 eggs each. The nesting season will continue until the end of this month, July. This is already a major improvement over the previous years when not a single nest remained undisturbed. The real proof will be the first week of August through the end of September, when the hatchlings emerge. This is show time. By next year, Kathy, that's me, will have an Intern, my own tagging equipment, scales and hopefully a small grant. John Wnek, the scientist I convinced to take me on board and I will be co-publishing a paper based on our results this fall. Next Phase Thursday, July 14, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey Nesting season is coming to an end. Most of the females have deposited their clutches for the season. The "boxes", predator eyes seem to be doing the job of keeping the raccoons away from the terrapin nests. I had proof of this on Monday, July 11th, when I finished relocating a nest and went out to the dike to check on the areas where the boxes had been set up. Someone had stolen one of them. I reported the theft to the local police, who in turn put in a report to the Fish and Game Commission, since this is protected land. The material value is small, the possible loss of nests can't be recouped. There have been no viable hatchlings from Barnegat Light, NJ for a dozen or more years due to raccoons digging up the nests. So far, the "eyes" had been working. When I returned to the site Tuesday morning I found 5 destroyed nests. Approximately 75 hatchlings gone because someone did not respect the research. Senseless loss of life. I guess the proof of the effectiveness of the "eyes" was evident. John, the Drexel/Earthwatch/Mates scientist I'm working with, feels we should go to the Press with the story, as do the local homeowners. All the other protected nests are doing well. By the second week in August, we'll have checks twice daily on the caged, relocated nests to check for emerging hatchlings. More later.
Linda Bowman's comment Thursday, July 28, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey Thank you Linda for your insight. Terrapins have been bouncing on and off the "Watch" list sich the early 1900s. Since they are coast hugging turtles, brackish bay water, and nest from Cape Code to the Gulf of Mexico, they are not as threatened in some places as they are at the Jersey Shore and of course now, Mexico, due to the spill. The best I can do is have them "protected" area by area. If not, they will become extirpated in certain areas. Thanks for your concern. You should join me at the Jersey Shore, Hatchling will begin to emerge in Barnegat Light in the next few weeks for the first time in over 30 years! It will be a media event.. I'll keep you posted..kathy Emergence Monday, August 8, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey Hatchlings will begin to emerge in about 2 weeks. This is the most crucial time of the nesting project. All of the relocated nests are in a protected area covered with wire cages. When the babies begin to emerge they need to be taken out of the baskets, soaked for a few moments in fresh water and relocated to their permanent "nursery". These spots are close to where the nests were laid and provide shallow water, hiding spots, plenty of snails, crabs, insects etc. The terrapins are bay turtles and will stay along this stretch of beach swimming a bit further out when they mature. They will return in the cooler months to estivate. Hopefully, the females will return to the beach in 10 years to lay their eggs. Volunteers have been signed up to check the hatchery every 3 hours, from 8am till 5pm so the babies don't die from the heat. We're giving them a needed head start by taking them to their nursery. Usually when they hatch from their natural nests, every seagull, crow, raccoon etc. is there to grab them before they make it to the water. Since this is an attempt to reestablish the natural balance, we felt human intervention was necessary. After all, we are responsible for throwing off the natural balance in the first place! The First Hatchlings! Saturday, August 13, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey The first hatchlings emerged from their nests this week and were successfully released into the bay near their original nest sites. These are the first ten babies to successfully hatch and be released in the Barnegat Light Bay area in too many years.
Many more nests are due to hatch in the next few weeks and on until the beginning of October. Hopefully, The US Fish and Wildlife Services will get enough public response to include the Diamondback Terrapin as a candidate for CITES listing at the upcoming meeting of participating nations. CITES Appendices will be amended based on the submissions of member nations and the public has a say. But, letters must be in by August 15th. Please show your support and go to: http.//action.biologicaldiversity.org/dia/action/public/?_key=7511 They need all the help they can get! 18 MORE! Friday, August 19, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey Due to the unusually hot summer, hatchling are emerging early. This past week 18 more emerged from 2 nests that were not yet 60 days! Fortunately I have some very attentive "nest watchers" who spotted the babies and put them in their tupperware containers for their first drink of fresh water. They were kept over night, notched and released into their nurseries the following day. The "watchers" were 2 California children visiting their grandparents. They have been fantastic! Several more nests will be hatching over the weekend. The town is really excited. This is more than I could have hoped for for the "Pilot" year. Already I have volunteers signed up for next years' project, lots of volunteers! Another Dozen! Saturday, August 20, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey Twelve more hatchlings emerged today, ready to go. They were notched and released into their nurseries. So far we've had 100% of the eggs in the clutches successfully hatch. This is absolutely unbelievable! I have to credit the success to the diligence of the volunteers watching the nests, most of whom are children! These kids are going to guarantee the success of the project, not just this year, but for years to come. They have all signed up as junior interns for next year!
Evacuation! Friday, August 26, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey With Hurricane Irene threatening to slam into Long Beach Island, I took a quick trip to the hatchery in Barnegat Light yesterday. I knew I had 2 nests on the verge of hatching and if left in the ground they would drown. When the babies begin to pip, split open their shells, they are vulnerable to heavy rains. My kids and I went up to check and our timing was right on. When we got to the first nest we gently brushed off the top layer of sand and there were 3 little faces staring back at us! We continued to brush the sand away as more of the babies literally burst to the surface. All 17 turtles successfully hatched! The next nest was almost the same. The top babies were ready to go. The bottom 8 were peaking out of their shells. I removed all the babies. None were released due to their early arrival and the pending storm. They will be released next week when all is safe. The Island was evacuated this afternoon. They're expecting the worst. Since these were relocated nests, I' m responsible for their safety. In a natural setting I wouldn't have intervened, however, until this project is well established, raccoons controlled etc. it is not a normal setting. Between the 2 nests we recovered all 34 hatchlings, all healthy! I still have 6 more nests in the ground, however they aren't due to hatch for at least 10 days, so their shells should protect them from the elements. My kids will be going back to school next week. Boy am I going to miss them! Amazing Grace! And 52 Hatchlings! Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey With "Irene" gone, it was time to return to the shore to release the hatchlings I had accumulated. 34 rescued from their nests before the storm and 18 I had been planning to release before the threat of "Irene". The 18 had emerged early and needed some time to absorb their yolk sacs. Tuesday was the release day and fortunately for me, my 8 year old nest watcher, Grace, was on the island and ready to help. I've been fortunate to meet a lot of amazing kids this summer, Grace is truly one of a kind. Her winter home is a large farm, so she's been mucking out stalls and helping with animals since she was barely 3 years old. I'm inclined to believe she's just a really short 20 year old! She's up for anything. Her mother is also fantastic. We put the babies, one at a time, into their new home, wishing them all well. It was a day I will never forget! I feel good knowing Grace will be around long after me to continue the Terrapin Project.
Terrapin Tails Thursday, September 15, 2011 Posted by Katherine Lacey The remaining 8 hatchlings have emerged and will be released this weekend. Thanks to the dedication of 13 of the most passionate volunteers I have ever worked with, we successfully released 201 terrapin hatchlings into the bay in Barnegat Light! These are the first new babies in this area in over 2 dozen years! That's an incredible accomplishment! In addition to the volunteers, the homeowners were key factors, calling when they spotted a female laying a nest so it could be relocated to the safe "hatchery. All in all, it was an amazing "pilot" year for the project. We already have plans in place for next year; more hatchery space, improved fencing, improved nest baskets, and hopefully cameras placed around the area. All the equipment will be donated. Our list of volunteers has also grown! Good-bye little ones..be safe!...kathy