web analytics

Posts Tagged "interns"

Intern Presentation

Posted on Mar 7, 2015

Intern Presentation

Although winter has come in like a lion for the month of March, be assured that spring will soon be on its way. Warming temperatures and increased daylight will bring everything underneath the snow and ice back to life, including some remarkable reptiles that inhabit the waters of Jamestown’s Chadakoin River. The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a unique species that the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and Jamestown Community College students have been studying over the past year, attempting to better understand their habits and behaviors as well as the current conditions of their...

Read More

Water Testing Round 2

Posted on Nov 1, 2014

Water 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

Water Testing

Posted on Oct 24, 2014

Water Testing

This week we have been getting outside collecting water samples and running some tests looking for specific elements in the waters of the Chadakoin River. The resulting data will give us more insight into the water quality of the river and the tolerances the Spiny Softshell Turtles appear to have to the existing conditions. We tested temperature and dissolved oxygen levels with our SUNY Jamestown Community College interns and Jan Bowman, JCC professor of biology, and will be testing for levels of phosphorous and nitrogen as well. Spiny Softshell Turtles are rather sensitive to pollutants, so...

Read More

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)

Posted on Sep 29, 2014

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)

The past few sunny days have been enjoyable for humans and turtles alike! This adult female Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) was in the process of hauling herself out of the water to soak up some rays when RTPI staff and JCC interns spotted her and a few others doing the same along the Chadakoin River. Observational work will continue until the turtles go into hibernation later this fall, and we encourage all of you that may be out seeing or observing them to let us know what you are finding. We love to hear where else they are being found and this information is helpful in...

Read More

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera)

Posted on Jul 26, 2014

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera)

We’re still finding time to monitor the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera) with our SUNY interns whenever possible. Right now they are moving around a lot and the weather has not been favorable for our work but here are a few of the 11 that I recorded today.

Read More