Southwestern Pond Turtle

STATUS

Ongoing

Region

California, United States

Protected Species

Southwestern Pond Turtle

Actinemys pallida

Vulnerable

About the Program

The Turtle Conservancy is committed to conserving Southern California’s sole freshwater turtle species, the Southwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida). The program integrates conservation, research, and public engagement to address the many threats this turtle population is facing. Unprecedented seasons of fire and drought, ecological disruption by invasive species, and accelerating habitat loss and fragmentation are among the many threats contributing to the rapid decline of Southwestern Pond Turtles throughout their historic range. The goal of the program is to develop a long-term conservation strategy in collaboration with local students, organizations, and stakeholders.

Help us continue or research on how to protect this unique species

Fundraising Goal: $100,000

To support the 2025 research season

Donate Now

Help us continue or research on how to protect this unique species

Southwestern Pond Turtles face significant threats from climate change, human activities, and competition with invasive species. Prolonged droughts and frequent wildfires jeopardize their survival by drastically altering critical habitats. Habitat degradation and loss caused by residential and agricultural development, water diversion, and road construction further fragment their environments, limiting access to essential resources and making terrestrial movement potentially deadly. Invasive species—including American bullfrogs, African clawed frogs, crayfish, catfish, carp, bass, and sunfish—are present in alarming numbers in Ventura County waterways and heighten the threats to the turtle populations.

Recognizing the severity of such threats, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the Southwestern Pond Turtle as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, 2023.

Pond Turtle habitat

Juvenile Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida)

An adult Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida) being processed

HOW WE PROTECT THE SPECIES

Southwestern Pond Turtles inhabit a wide variety of aquatic ecosystems in Southern California, including streams, rivers, ponds, and wetlands. The turtles’ survival depends on a range of resources, including suitable aquatic habitats for foraging, basking sites for thermoregulation, and safe nesting areas for reproduction. Additionally, access to terrestrial overwintering habitat is critical for survival during colder months.

Since 2022, the Turtle Conservancy has been researching multiple Southwestern Pond Turtle populations in Ventura County. Annual field surveys assess habitat quality at each site to evaluate the impacts of anthropogenic changes on turtle populations. Our research examines population characteristics such as abundance, distribution, demography, growth, and health concerns such as physical trauma and disease prevalence. The data helps prioritize restoration efforts and guides effective conservation planning.

[01]

Interns Michael Skibsted and Jack Thompson collecting morphometrics data

[02]

Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida)

[03]

Kylie Rude, Research assistant processing a turtle

[04]

A student collecting morphometric data

[05]

Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida)

[06]

Researchers gathering data in the field

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Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida) in its natural habitat

[08]

Collecting morphometric data

Education and outreach are key pillars of the Turtle Conservancy's mission. Through partnerships with neighboring institutions like the Thacher School and Ojai Valley School, we engage students in hands-on field biology techniques and turtle conservation..

This vital work is carried out by dedicated TC staff and student interns throughout Ventura County. Your support directly sustains our research and helps develop effective conservation strategies to protect this vulnerable species. We are deeply grateful to our partners at the Thacher School and Ojai Valley School, as well as the Shanbrom Family Foundation, for their steadfast support of Southwestern Pond Turtle Field Research.