Turtles of the Santa Fe River

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Turtles of the Santa Fe River

• Gerald R. Johnston, Ph.D.
• Santa Fe College

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What is the Santa Fe River Turtle Project?

• Cooperative effort by scientists and students
• Study and promote conservation of native turtles
• Santa Fe River drainage

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• Goals of the SFRTP
• Describe the Santa Fe River turtle assemblage
• species composition
• relative abundance of species
• distribution of each species
• Test hypotheses ? factors affecting patterns of
  distribution
• Assess health of populations
• Establish long-term monitoring program
• Public education
• Long-term persistence of entire turtle assemblage

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Study Sites
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T,S
T,S
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T,S
T trapping
S snorkeling
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Trapping
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Snorkeling
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Measuring
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Marking
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• Preliminary Summary
• 10 native species
• 67 of Floridas freshwater species
• 2 Florida Species of Special Concern
• Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys
  temminckii)
• Suwannee Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
• Uneven distribution throughout river
• Detailed description of River Rise assemblage
• 250 turtles / km
• 640 kg / km
• Generally healthy populations
• Several threats

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Suwannee Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
Species of Special Concern (FFWCC) Abundant
River Rise Ginnie Springs Herbivore Riverine Sex
ual dimorphism
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Suwannee Cooter Look-alikes
Florida Red-Bellied Turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni)
Florida Cooter (Pseudemys floridana)
Rare Herbivore
Rare Carnivore ? Herbivore
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Yellow-Bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta)
Common 2nd most abundant basking
turtle Omnivore Sexual dimorphism Unique
population habitat geographic location
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Yellow-Bellied Slider (T. s. scripta) native
Red-Eared Slider (T. s. elegans) non-native
Hybrid (scripta x elegans) genetic pollution
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Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor)
Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus)
Striped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon baurii)
Abundant Durophagous
Rare Omnivore
Rare Omnivore
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Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox)
Rare Carnivore Sexual dimorphism
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Bush hook
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Florida Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
Absent - locally abundant Omnivore
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Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)
Species of Special Concern (FFWCC) Rare
common Omnivore Unique
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Population Size Structure in OLeno State Park
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• What is next?
• Continued intensive sampling
• Rum Island Ginnie Springs
• Camp Kulaqua
• River Rise Preserve State Park
• Basking survey Suwannee Cooter
• Trapping survey Alligator Snapping Turtle
• Radiotelemetry 2 snapping turtle species
• New Florida harvest regulations?!

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Florida Turtle Harvest Update (Proposed Rule)

• Ban commercial take or sale of wild freshwater
  turtles
• Prohibit collection of imperiled species
• Prohibit collection of species the look similar
  to imperiled species
• Prohibit collection of eggs
• Allow take of 1 fw turtle/day/person from wild
  for non-commercial use
• Prohibit transport of more than 1 turtle per day
• Allow tightly controlled collection by farmers
  for breeding purposes
• April 15 meeting commissioners consider draft
  rule
• June meeting rule (if approved) advertised for
  final hearing
• Public comments any time during process
• testify at commission meetings
• turtles_at_MyFWC.com

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• What can you do?
• Support proposed FFWCC harvest laws
• Be vigilant
• Educate the public
• Participate in research
• Additional ideas

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Acknowledgments
SFC Herpetology Club Rebecca Cox Scott
Holznagel Jennifer Johnston Anthony
Lau Wes Oehmig Eric Suarez Travis
Thomas Steffi Affron (Camp Kulaqua) Ben Atkinson
(UF) Kevin Enge (FFWCC) Dale Kendrick
(OLeno/River Rise S.P.) Yurii Kornilev
(UF) Kenney Krysko (FLMNH) Joe Mitchell (Mitchell
Ecol. Serv.) Paul Moler (FFWCC) Max Nickerson
(FLMNH) Dan Pearson (FL DEP) Perran Ross
(UF) Morgan Tyrone (OLeno/River Rise S.P.) Jim
Wood (Santa Fe Canoe Outpost) Phil Younts (Camp
Kulaqua)
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