Turtle Conservation
Hatchling and Turtle Conservation through Headstarting (HATCH)
Students in our program participate in a real-world rare species conservation program by raising hatchling turtles to greatly increase their chances of survival in the wild.
Blanding's Turtles
We're monitoring and helping to protect four different Blanding’s turtle populations around the state.
Spotted Turtles
We’re working to conserve the last remaining population of the locally rare spotted turtle in Boston. Biologists radiotrack turtles to document population demographics, understand habitat needs and headstart hatchlings.
Wood Turtles
Once the most common freshwater turtle in eastern Mass, the wood turtle is now state threatened. We've been monitoring these turtles since 2012, and we'll be working alongside MassWildlife to access populations through 2021.
Turtles at the Arnold Arboretum
The Arboretum is an oasis in the city of Boston, not just for trees, but also many species of wildlife. We’ve partnered with the Arboretum to monitor and protect the turtles that live in their ponds.
Eastern Box Turtles
We’re studying Eastern box turtles here at the very northern limit of their range, in northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. We’re also training a turtle detection dog to help us find these elusive creatures.