Turtles get a helping hand at Harbour Center
When wildlife had to be relocated so that a pond could be deepened, volunteers stepped in
In a few months the turtles that live in the stormwater pond at Annapolis Harbour Center will have a renovated home, with deeper water and new perches for wildlife.
But for now, they need a little relocation assistance.
Anne Arundel County officials are draining the pond and digging out the bottom, increasing its capacity by making the pond deeper while also making other improvements to enhance the pond’s ability to filter pollutants from the rainwater that runs into it from the surrounding 36.3 acres.
Ultimately the project will add habitat and bring the stormwater pond up to date, helping the county meet federal pollution reduction goals.
But the work requiring heavy equipment — and for turtles, whose instinct is to hunker down into the mud rather than run, that could be a death sentence.
Since mid-May, more than 30 volunteers have been working to move the turtles temporarily to an alternate pond, where they will be safe from construction equipment until the project’s completion.
As of last week, 26 turtles had been transplanted from the pond at Harbour Center to a temporary home nearby.
As he dropped off nine of those at the new pond, Jeff Popp of the Terrapin Institute said goodbye.
“See you guys in a few months,” Popp said.
Popp, of Annapolis, is a volunteer with the Terrapin Institute, which has undertaken the turtle-saving effort in conjunction with Anne Arundel County, the SouthRiver Federation and the pond’s owner, Lerner Enterprises.
“It’s just something that people don’t think about, because most wildlife moves,”
Popp said. Birds fly away, deer run away.
Turtles hunker down.
“A turtle’s natural habit is to bury in the mud,” he said.
Turtles live long and reproduce slowly.
Pond retrofitting projects, such as the one at Harbour Center, have the potential to kill a huge population of turtles in one swoop, Popp said.
To prevent that from happening, volunteers set up five traps in the pond, which they are using to capture the red-eared sliders, painted turtles and red-bellied turtles that inhabit it.
Once caught, the turtles are measured and assessed. Two marks are etched into their shells so they can be identified later, both for research purposes and so the correct turtles can be returned to the Harbour Center pond once the construction work is complete.
But for now, they need a little relocation assistance.
Anne Arundel County officials are draining the pond and digging out the bottom, increasing its capacity by making the pond deeper while also making other improvements to enhance the pond’s ability to filter pollutants from the rainwater that runs into it from the surrounding 36.3 acres.
Ultimately the project will add habitat and bring the stormwater pond up to date, helping the county meet federal pollution reduction goals.
But the work requiring heavy equipment — and for turtles, whose instinct is to hunker down into the mud rather than run, that could be a death sentence.
Since mid-May, more than 30 volunteers have been working to move the turtles temporarily to an alternate pond, where they will be safe from construction equipment until the project’s completion.
As of last week, 26 turtles had been transplanted from the pond at Harbour Center to a temporary home nearby.
As he dropped off nine of those at the new pond, Jeff Popp of the Terrapin Institute said goodbye.
“See you guys in a few months,” Popp said.
Popp, of Annapolis, is a volunteer with the Terrapin Institute, which has undertaken the turtle-saving effort in conjunction with Anne Arundel County, the SouthRiver Federation and the pond’s owner, Lerner Enterprises.
“It’s just something that people don’t think about, because most wildlife moves,”
Popp said. Birds fly away, deer run away.
Turtles hunker down.
“A turtle’s natural habit is to bury in the mud,” he said.
Turtles live long and reproduce slowly.
Pond retrofitting projects, such as the one at Harbour Center, have the potential to kill a huge population of turtles in one swoop, Popp said.
To prevent that from happening, volunteers set up five traps in the pond, which they are using to capture the red-eared sliders, painted turtles and red-bellied turtles that inhabit it.
Once caught, the turtles are measured and assessed. Two marks are etched into their shells so they can be identified later, both for research purposes and so the correct turtles can be returned to the Harbour Center pond once the construction work is complete.
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