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Nesting Turtles Must Dodge Wisconsin Traffic MADISON, Wisconsin, June 10, 2002 (ENS) - A late spring has set back turtle reproduction in Wisconsin by about two weeks, so motorists in the state should now be watching for turtles crossing the state's roads, according to state wildlife officials. Each spring, adult female turtles move from their lower wetland habitat to upland areas to bury their fertilized eggs. Because roads often separate these habitats, turtles are often forced to cross roads during their breeding season.
"With more roads crossing the state and increased amounts of rural traffic, were seeing an increased mortality rate in even the more common species of turtles," says Bob Hay an amphibian and reptile biologist with the Department of Natural Resources. Late May is the traditional time for nesting turtles to begin appearing on roads, and this activity may extend into early July. This year, due to the unusually cold spring, that activity is about two weeks behind normal, Hay says. Turtle habitat has been fragmented by roads over the past several decades and, as a result, turtles are being killed in increasing numbers on roads throughout their active season. But road deaths are most dramatic in the spring, Hay says, when females are very mobile as they are seeking nesting sites. Turtles can be very persistent. Some individuals return to the same location every time they lay eggs and these places often change in character, or the pathway to these sites is intersected by a new road. "If you see a turtle on the road, carrying the turtle across the road - if it's safe to do so - will help reduce the number of animals killed by vehicles," says Hay. "It's important to carry them in the direction they're already headed," he added, "because if you turn them around they'll often try again until they succeed or get run over." For large turtles, like snapping turtles, the safest action to avoid being bitten is to gently drag them across the road by their tails leaving their front feet on the pavement. "Every turtle we save increases the chance of maintaining already dwindling turtle populations - especially since most of the turtles killed on roads during nesting season are mature females," says Hay.
Wisconsin is home to 10 turtle species, and five of them are experiencing population problems for a variety of reasons. The greatest factor affecting populations is the loss of wetland habitat and fragmentation of the landscape that makes moving between wetlands an unsafe proposition. Combined with increased numbers of roads and vehicles, moving from one habitat area to another is a deadly endeavor. Turtles are up against tough odds even without crossing guards. Hay says that as few as five percent of eggs laid survive to hatch and of those, only one in 100 may survive to reproductive age. Wisconsin is home to an army of turtle predators including raccoons, skunks, opossums, herons, egrets, seagulls, cranes and crows. These predators are numerous compared to the turtle populations and prey on either the eggs or the young turtles up to two inches in size. The state threatened Blanding's turtle is particularly vulnerable to highway related mortality. It takes a hatching Blanding's turtle 17 to 18 years to reach reproductive maturity. Populations of this threatened species are typically much lower than other turtle species, and every nesting female that is killed is significant for the local population. Another factor affecting turtles is the illegal collecting of turtles off roadways during the nesting season for food or pets. In 1997, the Department of Natural Resources passed new regulations protecting all turtles during the nesting season. It is illegal to collect turtles, live or dead, between November 30 and July 15. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2002. All rights reserved. |
The rare Blanding's turtle is listed as threatened in Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy 
Snapping turtle (Photo by Dena Dickerson courtesy 