Kane Co. joins fight to save Blanding's turtle

Blanding's turtles can live to be 80 years old.

If they aren't eaten by predators when they are in the egg, as hatchlings or juveniles.

Or run over by cars or mower blades as adults.

Or if the areas they like to call home aren't destroyed by human habitation.

The Kane County Forest Preserve District has joined the fight to save the yellow-throated turtle, which has moved up to "endangered" status on Illinois' wildlife watchlist.

"Habitat loss and road mortality are the really big factors," wildlife biologist Bill Graser told a group of Aurora University students and instructors Friday morning.

He brought a Blanding's turtle to campus to show the students what one looks like, in case they are lucky enough to spot one while out counting snakes, salamanders, frogs and toads in the district's preserves for their independent-study biology projects.

"If you see one, consider yourself lucky," Graser said ... and call him.

The turtle's visit drew other professors and students, who took turns holding the turtle and examining his hinged lower shell, while trying to avoid being scratched by its claws.

Graser and a seasonal worker began tracking the Blanding's populations last year. When he finds one, Graser marks its shell with a number and inserts a microchip identifier behind one of its legs. Then, using a marine glue, he attaches a radio transmitter to the turtle's carapace, or top shell.

Two to three times a week, Graser goes out to the preserves with a receiver, noting where the turtles have moved. They are semiaquatic creatures, and have been known to wander a mile away from water, he said.

"They're secretive, so you have to work very hard," he said, noting that the hard work includes walking through a lot of muck.

"We've seen signs of reproduction, so that's good," he said.

Graser won't reveal where he's found Blanding's turtles, because he is afraid collectors will go there to poach them.

By tracking the turtles, Graser hopes to find out where they nest, "so we can protect them."

For example, district workers would be extra careful when they mow, or when building paths near nesting sites, and would remove nonnative vegetation. The turtles lay eggs in soil, and the nest needs to be exposed to sunlight for incubation.

"The nest is where they are really vulnerable," Graser said.