Spiny Softshell Turtle Female
Sure, now that our Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors are not trying to capture them for tracking and research purposes, the Spiny Softshell Turtles, like this female, can hang out on the edge of the Chadakoin River. They are such smart and savvy creatures! In case you missed their work this summer check out RTPI’s PWA Youth Ambassadors efforts on their website.
Read MoreSpiny Softshell Turtle Male
Here we have one of those tiny Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) males blending in so perfectly as it rests on the side of the Chadakoin River in downtown Jamestown, New York. As Elyse and I observed this individual I snapped off a few photos, but we never noticed something else going on here. Have you? There is a second male facing the camera also basking in the sunshine, looking like some of the jagged shore. He was a cool editing surprise! Our work in monitoring the species will continue through the autumn season with more to come in 2016. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation...
Read MoreMeadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)
We had a squee moment a couple weeks ago when our Project Wild America students came across a pair of baby meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) in our path along the Chadakoin River. According to an old wives tale, handling baby wildlife will deter the mother from returning, due to the human scent, ultimately leaving the little ones for dead. Thankfully, these tales are far from true. While it is best practice to leave little ones where you find them, picking them up isn’t a death sentence. Our students were alerted to the voles as they were squeaking from within the grass clump they...
Read MoreProject Wild America Wrap Up
It’s 7am and about 55° on the morning of our last turtle trapping day with our Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors. I roll up to the Riverwalk to find all our students ready to give things a final go. All of us are beat from a long couple weeks of intensive trapping efforts and exploration of various sites along the Chadakoin River. However, we each feel accomplished with how many different species we have found and the impact we have made on the local community through the sharing of our findings and experiences. There is a dwindling optimism as we deploy our 35 foot seine net,...
Read MoreWhere the Wild Things Are; Chadakoin River Ecology Showcase
Where the Wild Things Are; Chadakoin River Ecology Showcase – Saturday, August 8th; 10:30am-12:30 pm on the Riverwalk downtown Jamestown (behind Friendly’s restaurant) Roger Tory Peterson Institutes ‘Wild America’ initiatives aim to reinvigorate and perpetuate appreciation of our local natural heritage. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Roger Tory Peterson’s telling of his own journey to discover the untamed reaches of our continent in the book by the same name. RTPI’s Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors, a group of 6 area high school students and 2 JCC students supervised by...
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