Want to get involved with citizen science? Now you can.
Projects to track, count, mark, protect and document diamondback terrapins (a form of turtle) are going on around the island.
One non-profit that has been doing it is Seatuck Environmental Association which worked with the Jamaica Bay Terrapin Research Project (out of Hofstra University) and the Peconic Estuary Partnership in the past. Information about Seatuck and its programs as well as contact information is at www.seatuck.org. Seatuck also has a mammal study going on right now.
Another organization that uses citizens to help monitor terrapins is Friends of Flax Pond (Friends Of Flax Pond (flaxpondfriends.org). The project is managed by Nancy Grant. The website is a bit out of date but the information about terrapins on the site is timeless, and the project itself normally starts between late-May and mid-June depending on water and air temperatures. If interested in helping with her work at West Meadow, Stony Brook or at Flax Pond, Setauket, email her at flaxpondfriends@gmail.com. She especially needs those with experience in tracking, protecting, and tagging terrapins. Even if she can’t use you right away, if you email her, she can keep you in the loop about future training and monitoring sessions as well as what is happening with the project.
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