Habitat – on a huge scale

[Marti Moses]

Marti Moses

July 20, 2008 at 4:07 pm #21980

I have uploaded some photos of our marsh to an album titled “Covepoint” . The first shows the three types of salt marsh grasses, spartina patens (short and soft), spartina alterniflora (taller) and the dreaded phragmites australis in the background against the trees. The second and third and fourth show how what was once beach is now seriously undercut and almost no real beach is left. Question 1: I need some help with habitat – on a HUGE scale. In the pictures I posted the shore line curves around and there is only a small portion left of what one could call a beach. Most of it has been undercut and is now a drop-off. Prior to hurricane Isabel in ’03 our shore was more of a straight line with quite a long stretch of beach but has now been eroded. We have checked into having the pros (recommended by DNR) come in and put in a living shoreline but for the 300 or so feet they want about $75,000.00. Would love to do it but we are on fixed income here so there is no way, even with their low interest loans. Given that we can’t go all the way to restore the beach we are looking at ways to provide some kind of nesting area for the terrapins a bit away from the actual water edge. I know the one terrapin that we have observed trying to nest in our driveway is obviously willing to go quite far ashore to find a suitable place. Do you think if we put up some sand dunes between the marsh and our drive that they would use them? I need someone who thinks like a terrapin. Question 2: I am assuming that we have a terrapin population of some sort that uses our marsh. But that is based only on the siting of one female, in ’03 and ’08, and the arrival of a hatchling in the garage in May of this year. How would one go about assessing the number and health of the terrapin population in our marsh? I have no experience finding turtles, so far my only experience has been with ones that find me. Marti Moses

[Stephen Chew]

Stephen Chew

July 21, 2008 at 2:06 pm #21981

Hi Marti, Thank you for the interesting post and pictures. Have you gotten in touch with Marguerite Whilden of the Terrapin Institute? She is probably the most knowledgeable on habitat conservation and has first- hand experience in providing new nesting grounds to repatriated individuals. Answer 1: Yes, I do believe the provision of sand dunes between the marsh and your driveway could be used by nesting females. Females will use just about any areas safely above the high tide line that is free of undergrowth. Some additional factors that they take into consideration are the humidity and temperature of a potential site. Anecdotal observations also suggest that areas saturated with the scent of predators may be avoided. Answer 2: Assessing a terrapin population is no easy task. Researchers will capture and tag terrapins through various means: crab traps modified with turtle excluder devices, seining, etc. Again, this might be something the Terrapin Institute might be interested in helping out with. -Stephen C — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “Marti Moses”

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