Spiny 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 MoreProject Wild America Youth Ambassadors
Tomorrow we officially begin our summer stewards program: Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors! This summer our crew comprised of two college student leaders and six area high school students will be exploring the wild places along the Chadakoin River that flows right through downtown Jamestown. They will be studying the many species that call the river corridor home, and I’m certain we will find some incredible species as well as learn more about the species we know occupy specific niches created within this urban environment. Our students will also be connecting to the local...
Read MoreWater Testing Round 2
Our water testing with SUNY Jamestown Community College interns continues as we get through our eight samples testing for nitrogen, phosphorous, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and temperature. Next week we will finish up going through our samples and share our findings of the water quality of the Chadakoin River. This information will give us more insight about the habitat the Spiny Softshell Turtles are utilizing and what conditions they are tolerable of. Stay tuned as some of our results may surprise you!
Read More
