Watch out for Turtles!

When species populations decline, we tend to think it is due to long term environmental effects or subtle evolutionary changes. The decline of the Northern Map Turtle is known to be directly impacted by human activities. A highly aquatic species, Map Turtles like to spend their time in bays and shoreline zones of large lakes and rivers. This makes them especially vulnerable to boat strikes and propeller injuries. In the Thousand Islands section of the St. Lawrence River, boat strikes occur often enough to cause a long-term population decline of Map Turtles.

Although the Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) is identified as a Species of Concern on the Ontario Species at Risk list, there is limited information about this species in the Cornwall to Lake St. Francis portion of the St. Lawrence River. Scientists at the River Institute are working to enhance habitat for Map Turtles by building basking platforms and observing sites where turtles have been identified in the past. Dr. Brian Hickey and his summer students are attempting to capture and radio-tag Map Turtles to learn more about their habitat preference and their activity range.

“In the Thousand Islands area, map turtles have been heavily impacted by boat strikes,” states Dr. Hickey, “we are hoping to establish habitats along the Cornwall waterfront and monitor evidence of injuries in this stretch of the St. Lawrence River”. By radio-tracking the turtles, Dr. Hickey can identify and map their habitat and track their movements to determine if they are likely to be impacted by local boat traffic.

In addition to the work in the Cornwall area, the research team will conduct surveys along the north shore of the St. Lawrence between Cornwall and Lancaster, Ont. This part of the project will be undertaken in collaboration with biologists from the Raisin Region Conservation Authority who are conducting similar turtle surveys in several of the tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.

This project will provide information about the distribution and population size of Northern Map Turtles to help clarify the status of this species in Ontario and especially in the Cornwall section of the St. Lawrence River. This project is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Species at Risk Stewardship Fund.

For more information contact:

Dr. Brian Hickey, Research Scientist and Education Program Leader

St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences

Tel: (613) 936-6620 ext. 225

Email: bhickey@riverinstitute.ca

http://www.riverinstitute.ca