April 2022
Resources from the April 21, 2022 CCP Quarterly Zoom Meeting
Turtles of the North Carolina Piedmont
Visual and audible recording of the Turtles of the North Carolina Piedmont meeting is now available HERE.
This meeting took place on April 21, 2022, from 9–11:30 a.m. via Zoom.
Meeting Agenda:
Welcome and Introductions
Turtles of the North Carolina Piedmont
Jeff Beane, Herpetology Collection Manager, North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences
North Carolina’s piedmont region is home to at least 11 native turtle species, plus at least one introduced species and one introduced subspecies. Eight of these species have been documented from Chatham County. This presentation will touch briefly on turtle taxonomy, anatomy, and general biology and focus primarily on natural history, distribution, and identification of our Piedmont turtles.
The Box Turtle Connection: Building a Legacy
Sara Steffen, Assistant Chair of the Box Turtle Connection and Assistant Manager of Durant & Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserves, City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department.
Did you know that the Eastern Box Turtle is North Carolina’s state reptile and needs our help? In North Carolina, box turtles are not protected and seem to be disappearing quickly. Box turtles can tell us a lot about the health of an ecosystem which is why it’s important that we learn as much as we can about them and their populations. The Box Turtle Connection project is leading the way to do just that by collecting data on turtle populations across the state. Join us and learn more about the eastern box turtle, what the project is doing to help conserve box turtles, and discover ways that you can help support this species in your own backyard.
Turtle Rescue Team
Debbie Roos, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center
The NC State Turtle Rescue Team (TRT) is a volunteer organization run by veterinary students at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The TRT provides medical, surgical and husbandry services free of charge in the hope of releasing rehabilitated turtles back into the wild.
Q&A Session
CCP Updates and Announcements from Members
Read more at: https://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/04/register-now-for-april-ccp-meeting-about-turtles/
Resources and Links:
The Box Turtle Connection: Building a Legacy Book
State-wide Population Characteristics and Long-term Trends for Eastern Box Turtles in North Carolina
HerpMapper – Global Herp Atlas
Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina
Triangle Turtle Trekkers – Piedmont Wildlife Center
Triangle Turtle Trekkers on scistarter
NC State University’s Turtle Rescue Team Cares for Injured or Sick Native Herps
National Wildlife Federation – Certify your Habitat
Eno-New Hope Plan: A Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity
919-397-9675 – call this number and leave a message if you find an injured turtle or other native reptile or amphibian
Interested in becoming a rehabber or helping with release? Email turtlerehabcoordinator@gmail.com
Turtle ID Books:
Reptiles of North Carolina by William Palmer and Alvin Braswell
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia, 2nd Edition by Jeffrey Beane, Alvin Braswell, et al
Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America by Robert Powell, Roger Conant, et al
Speaker Contacts:
Sara Steffen – Steffen@RaleighNC.gov
Jeff Beane – beane@naturalsciences.org
Debbie Roos – debbie_roos@ncsu.edu