Protecting the turtle population

On a breezy, sunny summer morning at the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Ella Brennan and Karson Smith inched carefully through waist-high grass in search of one of the several wood turtles the East Stroudsburg University environmental science majors are tasked with protecting in their roles as interns there.

Armed with a large metal tracking device that draws a signal from transmitters placed on the turtles, Brennan and Smith navigate down dirt paths, beside streams, over bridges, and through dense vegetation at the refuge headquartered in Stroudsburg that stretches along nearly 5,500 acres between Monroe and Northampton counties.

Their pursuit is part of a practice called “headstarting,” a strategy that aims to support the survival of wood turtle hatchlings by raising them in captivity, ensuring their growth by making sure they are adequately fed, and protecting them from predators. Brennan and Smith look over approximately 10 young turtles that hatched last year.

“They’ll actually grow to the size of a two-year-old in the span of us feeding them over a year,” Smith, a junior from Bangor, Pa. said.

Once the reptiles are ready, they’ll be sent to Delaware and released back into the wild to support the wood turtle population there.

While not endangered, wood turtles are in decline, making the work of Brennan, Smith and others at the refuge urgent.

“They are very important to the ecosystems and all the other organisms and critters that are around here,” said Brennan, a senior from Bucks County. “If the wood turtle goes, then the ecosystem wouldn’t be able to thrive as it would otherwise.”

On other days, Brennan and Smith pitch in with community education programs, including a recent event in partnership with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission that taught the public about snakes. They’re also planning their own event on Aug. 15 called “18 Holes of Wildlife,” which plays off the refuge’s origin as a golf course.

“I am so grateful,” Brennan said. “I tell everybody here all the time, too, that I’m so happy that this worked out the way it did, and that I get to have this chance here to make a difference.”

Paul Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at ESU and a regular contributor to educational programming at Cherry Valley, said it is encouraging to see younger generations of students taking an interest in conservation.

“Students like Ella and Karson understand and can demonstrate the critical connection between the clean air, water and quality of life enjoyed by the surrounding community and conservation and restoration efforts on Cherry Creek,” Wilson said. “At the same time, the students’ connection to the community, combined with their infectious enthusiasm and positive outlook, make it easier for others to share their understanding and love of the natural world.”

Brennan also highlighted working outside as one of the benefits of an environmental science career.

“If I’m working outside every day, it doesn’t feel like I’m actually working,” she said. “I’m doing something I love.”