By Michelle Kaylor
  
The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a small to medium sized turtle found in estuaries and salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Cape Cod to Texas. Seven subspecies have been formally described. Malaclemys terrapin centrata, the Carolina diamondback terrapin, ranges from Cape Hatteras to northern Florida and is the subspecies that occurs in Georgia. Adult male terrapins are significantly smaller than females. Courtship and mating take place in March and April and the nesting season occurs from early May until mid July in Georgia. Nesting typically takes place during the day. The general sites selected for nesting by the terrapins are located in areas above the high tide with minimum erosion.
  
Over the last century, populations of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in coastal Georgia and other parts of their range have been adversely affected by a variety of human activities, such as coastal development, harvest for terrapin stew, drowning in commercial and recreational crab traps, and mortality on roads. Two to three hundred reproductively mature female diamondback terrapins are injured and killed by motor vehicles each year during the nesting season on the Jekyll Island causeway. The causeway is a perfect spot for the terrapins to nest because it is high ground and unlikely to flood. Unfortunately, the terrapins are not aware of the heavy automobile traffic on the causeway when they cross the road.
  
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center staff and volunteers monitor the Jekyll Island causeway during terrapin nesting season. We record the location of each terrapin found, whether it is healthy, injured or dead. This data has been instrumental in determining hot spots for terrapin crossing and nesting. We will be placing 12 artificial nest mounds in these areas to encourage the terrapins to nest without crossing the road. Through previous studies, we also determined that depredation of terrapin nests by raccoons is very common on the causeway. For this reason, we will be placing specially designed caging on top of the nest mounds that allow the terrapins to enter but keep raccoons out. This technique has proven useful in increasing nesting success in other turtle species, thus we are hopeful that it will reduce the number of terrapins being hit on the causeway.
  
Injured terrapins are transported to the GSTC for emergency care and rehabilitation. Additionally, eggs are retrieved from both injured and dead terrapins for artificial incubation, hatching and eventual release. Over one hundred terrapins were successfully hatched in 2008 and released to the marsh.
  
It is our responsibility to SLOW DOWN while driving on the causeway during terrapin nesting season and watch out for crossing terrapins. If you happen to observe a terrapin crossing the road, first make sure it is safe to pull over and get out of the car, then help the terrapin across. Carefully pick the terrapin up and place her off the road in the direction she was traveling. If you find an injured terrapin, take it off the road and call the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at 912-635-4444 as soon as possible.

Tags: coastal georgia, coastal georgia turtles, diamondback terrapins, georgia marshes, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, georgia's jewel, jekyll island, jekyll island causeway, jekyll island marshes, jekyll island turtles, sea turtle, terrapin conservation, turtle monitoring, turtle mounds, turtle nesting, turtle patrol
Posted in Beachscape, June 2009 | No Comments »

Thanks to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the University of Georgia, and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, diamondback terrapins now have safe havens along the Jekyll Island Causeway. Artificial nest mounds with raccoon proof cages have been placed at strategic points to hopefully reduce the number of terrapins crossing the road.

“Every year 200-300 terrapins are hit by cars while trying to cross the causeway,” said Dr. Terry Norton, Director and Veterinarian for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center “The turtles are looking for elevated ground to nest. Since the roadways are elevated above the marshlands around them, terrapins often believe them to be suitable nesting areas.”

The mounds were built to be safe elevated nesting areas approximately 30 ft back from the edge of the causeway to thereby decrease the number of times the terrapins try to cross the road. In addition, cages on top of the mounds will reduce the threat of predation. Terrapins can get in and out of the cages through small spaces at the bottom, but predators such as raccoons can not.

The work, although in its preliminary stages, is backed by similar projects in the Northeast for wood turtles. The concept is still in a research stage, and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and its collaborators will examine the results at the end of the nesting season to see how much of difference the project made. “We are basically testing it out,” said Norton. “So it is a research project with conservation implications.”

Tags: conservation efforts, diamondback terrapins, georgia beaches, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, georgia terrapins, georgia turtles, georgia vacations, jekyll island, jekyll island causeway, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, sea turtles, terrapin turtles, turtle nesting
Posted in Press Releases | No Comments »

Join your friends at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for an afternoon of outdoor fun celebrating the start of the sea turtle nesting season and the release of one of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s very own turtles!

Nest Fest takes place May 3, 2008 from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. on Jekyll Island’s Beachdeck. Enjoy the beautiful Jekyll Island coastline and learn more about sea turtles and their habitats. Kids can participate in the ever-popular Kids’ Turtle Crawl on the beach, face painting, sea turtle related games, and many hands-on exhibits.

Registration and information can be found at www.gamultisports.com. The triathlon begins at 7:30 a.m., and the 5 km. Fun Run/Walk (open to people of all ages and athletic abilities) starts at 8:00 a.m.

After the race, head back to the beach to join the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for Nest Fest. Enjoy turtle-inspired games, activities, and a turtle release. Don’t miss this chance to bid farewell to some of the Center’s recovered patients at 2:00 p.m. For more information on the release, contact the Georgia Sea Turtle Center at 635-4444. For more information on Nest Fest, contact the Jekyll Island Visitor Information Center at 912-635-3636.

Tags: beach triathlon, Jekyll Beachdeck, Nest Fest, sea turtle release, Turtle Crawl, turtle nesting
Posted in May 2008, Uncategorized | No Comments »