You have 300 acres of forest and an occasional Eastern box turtle sighting. How would you know how many turtles lived there? If you volunteered at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, you would count them, all 600! That’s the job of the citizen scientists working on the Box Turtle Home Range Study, which started in 1995. That counting has paid off.
Let’s meet up with Mike Quinlan, program director of the box turtle project. Our talk will include information on box turtles, their population, and how they are caught, marked, measured, and recorded. We’ll learn about using radio telemetry to map their home ranges for repeatedly sighted turtles. It is used on two to four individuals per year with movement tracked weekly. We will head outside to track these individuals, and, hopefully, find a turtle in the wild. We will also meet four box turtle ambassadors who live at the center, and learn about their care. We’ll also discuss the other turtle species found there.
- Our meeting location can be found in your registration confirmation email when payment is complete.
- Watch for additional details in a welcome email a few days before the date.
- $6 parking fee per vehicle.
- Ages 10 and over.
- Dress according to the weather. Long pants are recommended. This trip will be held rain or shine.
- Wear sturdy shoes with non-slip soles that can get wet and muddy.
- Bring lunch, water, or snacks for a picnic after our tour.
- Sunblock and bug spray may be needed.
- Camera with accessories.
- Bring binoculars and a hand lens or loupe. Both are available to borrow.
- No pets, please.
- Information on the sanctuary, trail maps, and general information are available on the website: www.jugbay.org.
Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events and field trips with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.
For questions, please email Jayne at JAsh@marylandnature.org.