Ms. Young’s Honors Biology classes traveled to Edward MacDowell Lake to learn about turtle conservation strategies and to practice collecting field data on turtle populations.
First, they talked with US Army Corps of Engineers Ranger Jason Tremblay about turtle biology and the turtle nesting habitat restoration project at MacDowell. Then, Harris Center Naturalist John Benjamin took the students to the nesting grounds to look for signs of activity.
The students found two snapping turtle nests and learned how to report this information to the NH Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP) at NH Fish & Game. New Hampshire has six native species of turtles, four of which are threatened or endangered.
“I never knew that turtles have to travel away from water to lay their eggs and risk getting hit by cars when they do that. It was so cool to see ways to make the habitat better for them,” said one student.
