A Turtle Story

      For the past five weeks, Catherine Scott, assistant professor of early and elementary education, and her students have been laying traps along Prince Bridge, hoping to catch some of the unofficial mascots of Coastal Carolina University.
      They are conducting a mark-and-recapture study of the Coastal Turtles (Twitter account, @CoastalTurtles). Two weeks ago, however, some students unconnected with the study saw the traps and became alarmed, believing the turtles were being harmed. Rallying to save the turtles, the students called campus security.
      “I’m so happy to see that our students care, but no turtles are being harmed during the course of this study,” says Scott.
       Two types of turtles occupy Prince pond; the native yellow-bellied sliders and the non-native red ear sliders. Scott and her team set traps overnight and check them every morning. Sardines are a turtle treat used to lure the reptiles into the cages.
      Milk jugs are placed inside the traps to provide air for the captured turtles, although drowning isn’t a major concern.
      “What most people don’t know is that most turtles hibernate under water,” she says.
      Once the turtles are captured, their species is determined, followed by measurements of weight, height and shell size. Filings along the scute (the outer rim of a turtle’s shell) determine the species. Once they are identified and measured, they’re set free into Prince pond.
      “The process is not harmful to the turtles,” says Scott.
      The study serves two purposes. For students of professor Scott, this is an example of the practical training encouraged by CCU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
      “It’s beneficial to my middle and elementary majors to learn how to gather and collect data that can translate to future class lessons,” she says. The study has also provided mentoring opportunities for her students with area youths.
      The second purpose serves is ecological; reptiles are “good environmental barometers.”
      “We’re also looking into what effect a non-native species like the red ear slider will have on the pond’s ecosystem,” says Scott. “If we see it stops growing, we know they are an issue.”
       Seeing something that appears inhumane and doing something about it is a noble characteristic in anyone. The attempt to free the Coastal Turtles exemplifies this. But Scott urges some caution in this case.
      “Be careful to think about the bigger picture,” she says. “This is a way to make sure the turtles will be there 10 years from now.”