Conservation Spotlight on North American Freshwater Turtle Research
Melissa SmithNAFTRG director Eric Munscher measures the upper shell, or carapace, of a turtle.
Mission: “Transforming passion for turtles into effective conservation action through a global network of living collections and recovery programs.”
Headquarters: Charleston, South Carolina
Year Started: 1999
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Project: The North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG) is a volunteer-based citizen-science group started in 1999 as a long-term population study of turtles in Florida springs. Since then, the group has expanded to sample eight sites in Florida and several other sites in Texas, Tennessee, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 2012, NAFTRG joined the Turtle Survival Alliance, an international nonprofit dedicated to zero turtle extinctions.
Because turtles are often considered a keystone species, population numbers are a good indicator of general ecosystem health and water quality, says Eric Munscher, the director of NAFTRG.
The group focuses on “long-term monitoring of ‘protected’ areas, of which the data can be used to compare to unprotected areas,” he says. NAFTRG gives the acquired data to the managers of the areas, which they can then use to help assess which management practices are working for the protected areas and what can be improved.
“Long-term monitoring also allows us to see populations over time,” says Munscher. “Are they stable? Is something going on where we can see sickness? Are captures decreasing? Why?”
GET INVOLVED
Melissa SmithA common snapping turtle sits on the processing table at Wekiwa Springs State Park.
Volunteer: NAFTRG currently accepts citizen-science volunteers to help with spring, summer and fall samples around Florida and in Texas. No prior knowledge of handling turtles is necessary — group members will teach you everything you need to know on-site, making volunteering fun, easy and educational for anyone.
“What makes volunteering with NAFTRG unique is partly the work that volunteers are allowed to do, from being able to enter protected habitats and catching turtles and even protected species to learning the processing of the animals,” says Munscher. “That, and I think the TSA-NAFTRG group is very open and accepting. We have had and will always have a family feel.”
On a typical day, volunteers don snorkel gear and are in the water from about 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., hand-catching every turtle they see, from tiny loggerhead musk turtles to massive alligator snappers. Depending on the site, between 30 and 200 turtles may be caught in a single day.
You might think strapping a tank on would help catch turtles, but because of how quick they are in the water and how hard they can be to spot, Munscher says, snorkeling is the way to go. Still, divers — and anyone who loves and appreciates the water — will have a blast.
Melissa SmithA volunteer holds a baby loggerhead musk turtle.
Volunteers who opt not to get wet can man canoes to take turtles from the snorkelers and transport them to the area where they will be processed.
The turtles are measured, weighed, sexed, assessed for damaged and tagged in two ways: with a microchip called a Passive Integrated Transponder, or PIT tag, and with a unique ID that’s etched into each turtle’s shell using a numbering system. After being processed, the turtles are released back into the wild.
The numbering system allows for each turtle to be tracked over time as it is recaptured. At Wekiwa Springs, NAFTRG’s flagship sample site, the group still catches turtles that they originally caught in 1999. Munscher says seeing turtles living for so long in one habitat is a good indicator that it’s a healthy site.
Shop on Amazon: The Turtle Survival Alliance is one of many charities given donations through AmazonSmile. Through this program, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of every purchase you make to TSA. Just log in to your Amazon account through smile.amazon.com and use the search function to set TSA as your selected charity. Trust us — knowing part of your money will go toward a worthy cause will instantly make you feel better about ordering all of that new scuba gear.
Become a member: Support the Turtle Survival Alliance by becoming a member. A NAFTRG membership costs $30 per year and allows you to volunteer with the group. You’ll also receive a copy of the TSA’s annual magazine, and a portion of your membership fee will go directly to North American research.
