AFRO-Americ@: Every Wednesday Features

FACTS ABOUT BOG TURTLES MAKE YOUR OWN WETLAND!

EW every wednesday October 13, 1999

after nearly two years in the making, the Baltimore Zoo is proud to announce the opening of the new Bog Turtle Exhibit in the Lyn P. Meyerhoff Maryland Wilderness area of the Zoo. While Maryland is home to 30 percent of the world's entire bog turtle population, over-development and illegal collection for the pet trade have compromised the future of this Maryland native and its habitat - crucial to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The Baltimore Zoo's new Bog Turtle Exhibit provides a major research site and educates the public of the importance of protecting this endangered animal.

Bog turtles live in a "rapidly disappearing habitat, and people aren't paying Feat.#1

attention," said David Lee of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences and The Tortoise Reserve, Inc.

Over-development and illegal collection for the pet trade have caused the disappearance of more than 50 percent of Maryland's total bog turtle population in the past 20 years - found primarily in Carroll, Baltimore, Hartford, and Cecil counties. Preserving and restoring the wetlands is crucial to both the survival of the bog turtle and the Bay, because bogs filter pollutants, trap sediments from the water, and reduce the severity of floods.

Although wetland restoration projects have occurred in the past, The Baltimore Zoo's effort is unique. "No one have ever done this level of restoration to a natural bog before, " explains Baltimore Zoo Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians, Anthony Wisnieski. More than 100 years ago, the Zoo's Bog Exhibit was a natural wetland, but residents converted it into a pond and filled it with non-native vegetation. The Baltimore Zoo removed those plants, added bog soil, and re-planted native plant species.

"Our reason for involvement is not just the turtle itself," says Kevin Smith of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Watershed Division. "We want to highlight the habitat and educate the public about it and the animals who live there."

The Baltimore Zoo, DNR, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and the Fish and Wildlife Service published a bog turtle brochure and research guide, and together with the Maryland Herpetological Society, provided hands-on conservation workshops for both government officials and private landowners. In addition, the Zoo is working with Towson University and Frostburg State University to conduct DNA fingerprinting and radio telemetry monitoring studies, to determine the success of the restored habitat and the possibilities of replicating the project in the wild.

The new Bog Turtle Exhibit is a "great living laboratory," explains Scott Smith of the Wildlife and Heritage Division of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. It has "tremendous conservation value because we'll apply our findings to the real word. The whole thing is unbelievably exciting."

The Zoo exhibit includes an oversized bog turtle for children to climb on and explore, and innovative, kid-friendly signage that stimulates "conservation conversation" between adults and younger visitors.

Plans are already underway to restore a site immediately downstream from the exhibit, increasing the size of the wetland habitat and providing The Baltimore Zoo with the option of managing a separate bog turtle population.

A: Bog turtle wetlands are rare and unusual places often located at the headwaters of streams that lead to the Chesapeake Bay. Home to a variety of species, these wetlands are important for trapping sediments, filtering pollutants and reducing the severity of floods.

A: The bog turtle is an endangered species because people have illegally removed the animals from the wild and sold them as pets, and because their fragile wetland habitats have been paved to make roads, or excavated to make artificial ponds.

A: Wild animals do not make good pets! Become a bog turtle "watchdog." Report any illegal collection in your area. Volunteer to help clean up wetlands in your community.

It is hard to tell, just by looking at wetlands, that they filter pollutants from water, prevent soil erosion, help reduce flood damage, and serve as a home for a wide variety of animals. By building your own wetland, you can demonstrate some of these important wetland functions.

1. Spread a layer of modeling clay along half of the roasting pan to represent land. Leave the other half empty to represent a lake, river, or ocean.

4. Cut a piece of florist foam to completely fill the space across the pan along the edge of the clay. The foam represents the wetland buffer between dry land and open water.

5. Slowly pour water on the land. What happens? Some of the water is slowed down by the wetland (foam)! Wetlands collect water and slow its rate of flow, reducing flooding and preventing soil erosion.

6. Drain the water from the roasting pan and replace the foam. Now pour muddy water down the slope of land (clay). Compare the water in the pitcher to the water that ends up in the bottom of the roasting pan. The wetland trapped the soil particles, purifying the water!

8. Add wildlife to your wetland. Stick long pine needles into a new piece of foam to represent reeds, and add bog turtles and other wetland animals made of clay.

There are a number of wetlands in North America. Some of significant because they are extensive and provide important wildlife habitat. Some are homes to rare plants and animals. And other wetlands have historical and cultural value. Can you identify wetlands in your area?

Admission to the Baltimore Zoo is $9.00 for adults and $5.50 for children ages 2-15 and seniors 62+. Children under the age of two are admitted free. All children are admitted free the first Tuesday of every month, between 10 a.m. and noon. Discounts are available for large groups. Parking is free.