The TC’s Southern Pacific Pond Turtle Conservation Program has been off to a great start this season. In past posts we've chronicled our search for Southern California’s only native freshwater turtle, Actinemys pallida, at two field sites. In the Sespe Wilderness we have been collaborating with the Thacher School to incorporate field research into high school course curriculum. And in Fillmore, we have been working with the Santa Clara River Conservancy (SCRC) at the site of what will soon become the Cienega Springs Ecological Reserve.
In each case past Pond Turtle sightings have been sporadic and far too few to confirm the presence of a population of resident turtles who are notorious for evading human detection. This changed in May. Once we were permitted to employ hands-on techniques of capturing turtles, we immediately began finding healthy adults suggesting viable populations are present in these two very different locations.
In the Cienega Springs Ecological Reserve we worked with the SCRC team to capture a noteworthy amount of Southern Pacific Pond Turtles. The native turtles appear to be surviving in this heavily-altered habitat alongside invasive species like Red-eared Sliders and African clawed frogs. The most exciting revelation was that the turtles do not only inhabit the lone permanent water feature of the site, but appear to be utilizing the meandering canals and former watercress fields that will be restored to include native riparian and aquatic habitats.
In the Sespe Wilderness where riparian habitat was significantly altered during the Thomas Fire of 2017, we surveyed a small stretch of stream with students from the Thacher School. In a short amount of time, we were able to detect Southern Pacific Pond Turtles immediately near the campground and more were observed as the group hiked several miles further into the Sespe Wilderness during their end-of-year camping trip. We hope that these early detections are an indication that the drought and fire tolerance of this species has lent at least some resilience to the effects of global climate change in Southern California.
We are very thrilled to have made a significant step towards our long-term mission of monitoring, conserving, and restoring Southern Pacific Pond Turtle populations in Ventura County. Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses.
