The New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the conservation, preservation of habitat, and the promotion of proper husbandry and captive propagation of turtles and tortoises. The Society emphasizes the education of its members and the public in all areas relevant to the appreciation of these unique animals.
Next NYTTS Meeting: Topic and location will be announced soon.
“Natural History and Conservation of Florida Turtles” — 18th Annual Summer Workshop for Formal and Non-formal Educators, June 14–17, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Join other educators from throughout Florida as we:
canoe and snorkel on spring-fed rivers,
watch marine turtles nesting on a central Florida beach, and
explore an endangered longleaf pine ecosystem and examine gopher tortoise burrows.
At the November 1st meeting, NYTTS members who participated in turtle biologist George Heinrich’s Florida Turtles Natural History Tour last summer shared their experience with slides and stories. (NYTTS tour group pictured right.) Another tour for NYTTS is being planned for mid-June 2011. See more information and slide show of last summer’s tour.
In Memoriam: John Thorbjarnarson: Well-known Wildlife Conservation Society herpetologist John B. Thorbjarnarson died of malaria in India on February 14. While focusing much of his work on crocodilians, he also studied turtles extensively and was a presenter at the NYTTS-sponsored 1993 Purchase Conference and a senior author in the Proceedings of the conference. University of North Florida herpetologist Chuck Schaffer has written this tribute.
Long-time NYTTS member Michael Sherwin has alerted us to the production of a new film Turtle: The Incredible Journey, from saveourseas.com, opening this fall in Europe and in 2010 in the U.S. It is a documentary that follows the life of a single loggerhead sea turtle from hatchling to adulthood. For more information go to Turtle: The Incredible Journey. Web site includes a high-definition trailer.
Citizen Scientist Michael Musnick — In NPR’s “Turtles On The Wrong Side Of The Tracks” (Science Friday, Ira Flatow), long-time NYTTS member Michael Musnick is featured as citizen scientist:
Michael Musnick is a citizen scientist who studies wood turtles in the Great Swamp—a stretch of wetland about 60 miles north of New York City. He found turtles dying in the railroad tracks and proposed a solution to New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority: tiny turtle bridges. Filmed by Shelley DuBois and Flora Lichtman. Additional footage and photographs from Michael Musnick. Edited by Ira Flatow and Annette Heist. Produced by Flora Lichtman.
(Click arrow to begin video.)
The Annual Turtle and Tortoise Show, on Saturday, May 30, in Greenwich Village, New York City, was a great success! Pictued right: Gary Weiler displays his Best-in-Show trophy for his breeding pair of red-footed tortoies and their offspring. More photos and announcement of other winners to follow. Photo by Anita Salzberg
Clarifying Regulations in New York State for all Native Species: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation now requires a permit to keep any species of reptile and amphibian native to New York State. This includes all twelve species of New York turtles. The mechanism by which owners of New York turtles may acquire permits is being investigated. Read and download an overview of the new regulations.
The Asian Turtle Crisis — An Update
From “Eaten to Extinction”—Assignment Earth, on Yahoo.com
Video from guardian.co.uk
Compare these two videos. The first, from Assignment Earth, draws upon the video tapes of the Guangzhou market in China taken by Dr. Bill McCord in 1997. His widely distributed video footage and photos published by NYTTS and others became a clarion call for action. The state of urgency was dubbed “The Asian Turtle Crisis” (a take-off the Asian financial crisis of the 90s), and numerous Web sites and news articles helped raise public awareness. Conservation programs were launched both in Southeast Asia and in the United States. These included the Turtle Survival Alliance, the Asian Turtle Conservation Network, breeding endangerd turtles at the Tennessee Aquarium (referenced in the video), and the Asian Scholarship Program (originally launched by NYTTS and the Terrapin Conservation Project at the Wetlands Institute).
But how much has changed in the twelve years since the orginal market videos and photos were taken? The second video was just taken in May, also in Guangzhou.
In this video, by guardian.com.uk, student activists Wen Zhenyu and Luo Xinmei are trying to halt the illegal sale of endangered animals for food and medicines. Note the footage of tanks and pens filled with turtles. The facilities look a bit more modern, but the conditions differ little.
A Yangtze giant softshell turtle was rescued and returned to the wild last November after flooding caused a dam to break on a lake outside of Hanoi. In February the Asian Turtle Program of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo hosted a workshop for residents of the Vietnamese communities bordering the lake. See report on this workshop from Asian Turtle News (PDF).
This critically endangered turtle is one of only four in the world, one in Hoan Keim Lake in central Hanoi, and two in China at the Suzhou Zoo in a breeding program, which was reported on by Dr. Paul Calle at the Annual NYTTS Seminar in March.
Reptile Blog by Frank Indiviglio:
Frank Indiviglio, former Staten Island Zoo and Bronx Zoo keeper, and long-time friend of NYTTS, writes numersous articles for That Pet Place, especially for That Reptile Blog as well as others. About 130 articles have been posted to date, covering pet care, natural history, Frank’s own experiences, and breaking research news. Frank writes all the articles for the Reptile Blog and for the Avian Blog, as well as many for the Fish Blog. Turtle folks may go directly to Frank’s collection of Turtle and Tortoise articles. Readers can leave comments, ask questions, and share observations. See also Frank’s biography of experiences.
Pictured right: Frank Indiviglio demonstrates proper way to handle an alligator snapping turtle (“Handling Snapping Turtles, Chelydra serpentina, and Other Large Turtles”)
Children’s Books About Turtles: Turtle Rehab Program director Lorri Cramer has assembled a list of books about turtles recommended for children. See the Children’s Book List.
Membership
Membership in the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, which includes subscriptions to NYTTS publications and discounts to books and other sale items, is open to all interested persons (children are welcome to join under the supervision of their parents or guardians) for an annual fee of $25. Please send check, payable to NYTTS Membership, to NYTTS, P.O. Box 878, Orange, NJ 07051-0878.
NYTTS News Group E-mail Service. Society members may now subscribe to the NYTTSnews e-mail service. This is an important means of communicating with our members. To add your name, enter your e-mail address in the space at the left and click the Join Now! button. To learn more about the NYTTSnews group, please visit groups.yahoo.com/group/NYTTSNews.
Questions? Send your e-mail inquiries to the following addresses:
Information about NYTTS and general animal care — Barbara Daddario:
QandA@nytts.org
Turtle Rehab and Questions about Injured Turtles — Lorri Cramer:
lorric@nytts.org
Mail Orders: Books, T-shirts, and Sale Items —
Allen Foust:
allenf@nytts.org
