Santa Fe River Turtle Project

The Turtle Conservancy has developed a new partnership with the Santa Fe River Turtle Project (SFRTP) in northern Florida. This new partnership will allow TC supporters to directly donate to the SFRTP, ensuring that they have the supplies necessary to sustain their long-term research and conservation work year after year.

The SFRTP is a collaborative effort by scientists, students, and citizens to learn about the turtles inhabiting the Santa Fe River and to promote conservation of the entire Santa Fe River ecosystem. Since 2004 the project has examined, measured, marked, and released more than 10,000 turtles. Over 250 students and citizens have participated in this project during the past 18 years.

 Project Overview

Habitat degradation

Declining quality and quantity of water flowing from springs has caused changes in the submersed aquatic vegetation in many parts of the Santa Fe River ecosystem. A major die-off of native plants in 2012-2013 was subsequently followed by recolonization by algae and cyanobacteria. This change in the foundation of the food web could have profound effects on the turtles. Because each of the 11 turtle species has a unique niche, some species may be affected differently than others.

Collisions with motorized boats

Recreational boating is a common activity on the Santa Fe River. When boats travel at high speed, turtles may not be able to swim away in time. A collision with a boat may be lethal or result in serious injury. River cooters (Pseudemys concinna) are especially affected; more than 20% of the individuals we have captured exhibit an injury caused by a boat collision.

Poaching

In 2009, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission enacted strict regulations to protect freshwater turtles from commercial harvest. However, species such as the Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor), River Cooter (P. concinna), and Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis) are still vulnerable to illegal collection for the pet trade or human consumption.

What We Do

Education

Most of the threats facing turtles in the Santa Fe River ecosystem can be addressed by education. We try to educate everyone who can potentially help. As a community-based project, we engage with local citizens and share stories about the amazing, globally unique turtle assemblage we have in our own back yard. We then inform them about the threats to the turtles and present the situation as an opportunity to take action and help. Some local citizens have even joined our team and participate in our research. Most of our team consists of college and university students, and they receive real life educational experience that transcends the traditional classroom experience. Our students become scientists, educators, and informed citizens who amplify our effect.

Research

Our research is primarily a massive capture-mark-recapture study. It is massive because it covers the entire Santa Fe River ecosystem, includes 11 native species, and has been on-going since 2004. With over 10,000 marked individuals, we have been able to study population dynamics, spatial ecology, and growth rates. We are just now learning how many years males and females of some species require to reach sexual maturity. We are also discovering how study duration affects our perception of home range size and habitat use. Turtles are long-lived animals that require long-term study!