BOG TURTLE

Be A Careful Consumer

When you are looking for pets, be mindful of where they come from, because one of the biggest threats to these tiny turtles is the illegal pet trade, which relies on buyers.

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Be Aware of Your Actions 

Seeing as climate and sea-level rise are both major threats to wetland ecosystems, a key part of doing your part to save the bog turtle, even if you live far away from them, is being aware of your carbon footprint. Some things that people do, such as eating lots of red meat, or taking exorbitant airplane trips, can greatly increase their carbon emissions. 

Something that you can do to check on how big of an impact you are making, is try doing a carbon footprint calculator! 

This can be a fun exercise, to show your friends or even kids, and can really show how you are affecting the planet (Global Footprint Network, 2019). 

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Donate Your Time and Money to Nonprofits

Nonprofits rely on volunteer time and money, so they need you! Click here to be redirected to our page on what organizations are helping Bog Turtles.

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Be An Active Citizen

Be aware of local development, and if you think it could encroach upon lands valuable to endangered species, speak up, educate your neighborhood, make a petition, and vote for local representatives who care about wildlife conservation. 

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Be A Responsible Landowner

The vast majority of Bog Turtle habitat is privately owned, overall 95%, in some states, this can even reach 97% (Klemens, 2001). This means that a lot of the responsibility to save Bog Turtles rests on individuals.

 

Pesticide, or even excessive fertilizer use, can be extremely detrimental to Bog Turtle habitats. Even in places where it doesn't seem would affect the Bog Turtle, pesticides and fertilizers have a tendency to end up in runoff, which can lead to eutrophication (in the case of fertilizer) or unintended wildlife deaths (as in the case of pesticides) (Defenders of Wildlife, 2020). 

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You can also plant trees and other plants, which can control erosion, and therefore keep our waterways clear, just how the Bog Turtle likes them (Defenders of Wildlife, 2020). 

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Some programs have also become available that aim to incentivize landowners to make their land habitable to the lovable Bog Turtle. For instance, New York's Department of Environmental Conservation created a new effort with grants and guidance through the federal Landowner Incentive Program (with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and practical assistance from the Environmental Defense Fund and Nature Conservancy) (Esch, 2010). 

Although some landowners are hesitant to allow organizations to interfere with how they manage their private wetlands, these types of programs have been very beneficial in reclaiming Bog Turtle habitat! 

These New York grants can range between $5,000 and $50,000, and recipients usually pay for 25% of the project cost (which includes vegetation management, stream, pool and marshland restoration, and reconnection of separated habitats) (Esch, 2010). 

If you are a landowner in an area that has been known to contain Bog Turtle habitats, please inquire about grants that you could get involved in. The turtles would greatly appreciate it, and you would be making a better world for tomorrow.