The Davidson College Box Turtle Mark-Recapture Program: Urban Herpetological Conservation Research Made Possible by Citizen Scientists

Joy M. Hester, Sarah A. Budischak, and Michael E. Dorcas

Abstract

Box turtle (Terrapene carolina) populations in urban and suburban areas throughout the United States are at risk of decline due to expanding urbanization, traffic, construction, introduced predators, and humans. Because these threats increase the need to monitor box turtle populations, we initiated a mark-recapture study that is now in its sixth year at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. A major goal of our mark-recapture study was to involve the local community in the collection of box turtles because this greatly increased the number of study animals we could acquire and because it formed a foundation for which effective conservation outreach could be accomplished.The program was publicized through fliers and brochures, word of mouth, on the internet, at schools, and during our annual “Reptile Day.” Citizen scientists have contributed 190 of the 340 live box turtles that have been brought into the lab as a part of the box-turtle mark-recapture program from May 1999 until September 2004 (90 turtles from the community, 80 from college employees, and 20 from non-herpetology students). Herpetology Laboratory members have captured 150 box turtles. In total, 36 community members and their families, 31 college faculty and staff members and their families, and 11 college students who are not members of the Herpetology Laboratory have participated in the Davidson College box-turtle mark-recapture program, resulting in a grand total of 78 citizen scientists. Of these participants, 12 community members, 12 college employees, and 2 college students have brought more than one turtle to the lab, indicating continuing involvement with the project. All respondents to a short survey about the program (16 college employees and 10 community members) indicated that they would bring another box turtle to the Herpetology Laboratory. In addition, when asked to rate their experience with the project on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being very positive), 4% (one participant) rated their experience as a 7, 8% rated it as an 8, 11% rated it as a nine, and 73% rated it as a 10. Obviously, this project has been successful in providing the Davidson College Herpetology Laboratory with subjects as well as increasing public awareness of the threats that box turtles face in this urbanized area.