HWA Surveys Set to Begin
This winter season the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, Jamestown Community College and Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy are teaming up to survey for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) at a number of sites within Chautauqua County. The public is welcomed to join in the survey efforts and will receive on-site training encompassing general information about hemlock trees, the threat of HWA as well as the protocols utilized to survey for the invasive insect. The survey team will evaluate South Valley State Forest in Cattaraugus County, New York on February 13th from 1:00-5:00pm and...
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 MoreWater 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 MoreTurtle time before autumn cold
Intensive surveys and research are underway this fall with SUNY JCC interns on the Spiny Softshell Turtles in and around Jamestown. Yesterday our crew stepped into their world, literally, and got wet in the Chadakoin River. It is time to get busy before we get any further into autumn! The first real blast of cold air will arrive this weekend. It’s now or never for field research…
Read MoreEastern 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...
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