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Wood Turtle Conservation Strategy Uses New Findings and Proposes Status Update

Pixabay

  Identifying and making road crossings safer for turtles are key parts of a recent DNR conservation strategy to restore and track Wisconsin’s wood turtle population.

Wood turtles are found primarily in northwest Wisconsin with about 300 documented populations in the state. Nongame Species Manager Owen Boyle says because of the restored population, they’ll be removing wood turtles from the threatened list, and designating them as a Protected Wild Animal. He says the new listing will ban the harvest, collection or purposeful killing of wood turtles. Boyle says the strategy is designed to keep wood turtles as an integral part of Wisconsin’s natural heritage. He outlines the conservation programs…

“…volunteer monitoring program called the Turtle Conservation Program where we ask folks to report areas of road mortality for turtles.”

Boyle says monitoring and protecting wood turtle’s nests from predators will also reduce mortality rates.

He says until the status is finalized the DNR has drafted a Broad Incidental Take Permit/Authorization for wood turtles.

More information can be found on the DNR website

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