Invitation for Training and Participation 

Project leaders:  Bob Dunstan (Master Naturalist) and Kory Steele (Virginia Herpetological Society) 

What:  Master Naturalists are being asked to identify box turtles that they come across during the month turtles are active. Turtles will be photographed and pictures as well as additional information will be put on a form and submitted to project leaders.  At the end of the season, the data will be tabulated to help determine the abundance and health of Northern Neck box turtles.  

Why:  The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources estimates there is a 32% decrease in box turtles in Virginia Over the past 100 years. This project seeks to define the box turtle population in the counties of the Northern Neck where they appear to remain abundant. In theory, it is easier to define population declines in areas with a high population of the species of interest. The proposed project will contribute to resource management by defining the number of box turtles in Northern Neck counties and it will contribute to conservation by accumulating data as to the number of road kills and health issues of the Northern Neck box turtle population. Participation hours can be put in BI (citizen science/wildlife/box turtle).

Next steps: Master Naturalists who are interested need to enroll by attending a training to learn more details about the project and how to use the submittal form. 

When: 7:00 p.m. Monday, April 15th, remote by ZOOM (address to follow). Please RSVP robertwdunstan@yahoo.com