The threatened Blanding’s Turtles make their annual journey across at The Nature Conservancy’s Weaver Dunes Preserve
Minneapolis, MN—The turtles are crossing the road! Each year in early to mid-June, over 1,000 gravid (with eggs) female Blanding’s turtles move from marshes and wetlands associated with the old Zumbro River channel and cross Wabasha County Road 84 and make their way to traditional nesting areas at Weaver Dunes Preserve Scientific and Natural Area, outside of Kellogg, MN.
The female turtle, which has a domed shell resembling an army helmet, walks up to a mile to find her “perfect” nesting site. Once a nest site is chosen, she digs a hole 4 to 6 inches deep and deposits an average of 10 eggs. Then she covers the nest and returns to the marshes. The eggs hatch between late August and early October, and the hatchlings, which are about the size of a quarter, return to the wetlands using the same routes as the adults. These migrations are hazardous for the adult and hatchling turtles because they often must cross at least one road on their journey.
“The protection of female Blanding’s turtles as they move back and forth across area roads is vital to the long-term survival and persistence of this truly unique population,” said Anna Travaglione, land steward for The Nature Conservancy’s Weaver Dunes Preserve. “We appreciate volunteers who assist the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and The Conservancy with turtle road crossing as well as any needed help in monitoring or research. Another significant factor in reducing road mortality is community and neighbor awareness. People living in this area know that these turtles are a special feature of their neighborhood.”
The turtles, named for William Blanding, an early Philadelphian naturalist who discovered them, are medium sized, with shells averaging 7 to 9 inches long. A distinguishing feature is the bright yellow chin and throat. Its shell is usually dark olive in color with irregular pale yellow spots. The range of the turtle is concentrated in the Great Lakes region, including Michigan, Wisconsin, northern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, southern Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. It listed as state endangered in Indiana and Missouri and state threatened in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Although listed as a threatened species in Minnesota, Blanding’s turtles still occur in substantial numbers in the vicinity of Weaver Dunes. In fact, this population may represent the largest concentration of Blanding’s turtles existing anywhere in the United States, with an estimated 5,000+ individuals believed to currently inhabit the region’s wetlands. The American Museum of Natural History calls this dune region the most important place in the United States for these turtles because of the population’s wide range in age and size. Periodic research to check on the health of the population is critical to ensure that local conservation and land management is achieving the goal of maintaining the different types of habitats that the turtles need, as well as connectivity between them. The Weaver Dunes landscape is a mosaic of connected habitats (sand prairie, wetlands, streams and uplands) that is becoming rarer because of fragmentation by highways and development. This loss of habitat and habitat connection is what has led to decreasing Blanding’s turtle populations in sites that they historically occurred. As one of the most important nongame wildlife resources in the state, the Minnesota DNR and The Nature Conservancy have sponsored research and prioritized the protection of the Weaver Dunes Blanding’s turtle population.
The Nature Conservancy’s involvement in protecting the Blanding’s turtle habitat in the Weaver Dunes area goes back to 1980, when The Nature Conservancy acquired the Weaver Dunes Preserve. Two years later, the Kellogg Weaver Dunes Scientific and Natural Area was established a half-mile north of the preserve by the Minnesota DNR. The wetlands that the Blanding’s turtles live in most of their lives are mostly on the McCarthy Lake Wildlife Management Area, which has been protected by the DNR since the 1960s. The turtles occasionally wander into the channels and wetlands associated with the mainstem of the Mississippi River, which is also protected land because these areas are included in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge. This refuge was first established in 1924, and encompasses the Mississippi River valley from southern Minnesota to northern Illinois.
Although the Blanding’s turtle is the most famous resident of Weaver Dunes, the Ottoe skipper butterfly, listed as state threatened, and the regal frittilary butterfly, a species of special concern, also breed on the preserve.
If you are driving on Wabasha County Road 84 in early June, you will notice the “rare turtle crossing” signs posted by the DNR and The Nature Conservancy. Please be careful and help protect this important species for future generations to enjoy.
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