By Adrienne Rumley | Wildlife Conservation Intern
Well, winter here in the piedmont has come to an end with spring right at our doorsteps. Flowers are blooming, pollen is in the air turning all we know and love yellow, and turtles are starting to awaken from their long dormant states. As I step outside the cabin with my gear, I hear the sounds of children playing mixed with the rhythmic clicks of our radio telemetry equipment. There I walk along the trails throughout the park as the clicks become louder and louder. Making my way through the brush of our forests, the radio tells me I’m getting closer. I trek over puddles and rivers as my boots become covered in mud. Finally, I come across an eastern box turtle!
That feeling of excitement has become one of the many moments I’ve come to enjoy here as a Wildlife Conservation Intern. Previously, I had zero knowledge of these stoic creatures or their conservation efforts. Like many, I preferred to admire sea turtles. With their grace and beauty, how could they compare to the eastern box turtle? How wrong I was. Part of my duties here, aside from assisting in the Box Turtle Connection, is caring for the Ambassador Animals. Five box turtles reside here at the Piedmont Wildlife Center, and I’ve been able to observe the behaviors of each. Shelly in particular has stolen my heart. We spend time together as I enter data into our Turtle Trekkersspreadsheet, helping citizens all over the NC triangle contribute to our cause. Her sassy attitude has me laughing each time she creates a mess in her enclosure, and her intelligence has come to surprise me. Spending time with her has helped me grasp how important it is to protect them.
Why Box Turtles? To quote the great Jane Goodall,
“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” -Jane Goodall
These individuals, I’ve learned, have been victim to habitat fragmentation and microclimate changes due to human interference. Roads are their enemy, and the exotic pet trade has made an unfortunate impact. Now more than ever it is important that we gain the support not only from those of us directly involved in the project, but from individuals all over. All individuals matter and have a role to play. The role of your support makes a difference in protecting these creatures I’ve come to know and love.
Join us for an upcoming virtual orientation on how to be a Turtle Trekker! This will be held on April 15th from 1pm-2pm through Zoom. Link below on how to join.
Also, did you know that turtle’s shell segments are called scutes? Because I didn’t, and it is now my new favorite word.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
