eastern box turtle

Turtles of Change!

Posted on by Stevo

Recently Earthshine Nature Programs Executive Director Steve O’Neil was awarded a very special award known as the “Turtle of Change”

This award is a small bronze statue of a sea turtle.

It is special because it is the only one in the USA and it is traveling all over the world visiting people who are working to make a good and lasting change in the community or the planet.

The turtle called “Turtle Grupo Tortugero” was presented to Steve by the previous recipient of the turtle Alan Cameron.  Alan is also known as “The Salamander Whisperer” because of his ability to find endangered Green Salamanders where no one else can find them. Alan has been volunteering with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for many years and has helped them find thousands of Green Salamander sites all over WNC.

Alan presents Steve with the Turtle of Change.

Steve wrote the following in the Blue Turtle blog:

After receiving Turtle Grupo Tortugero (TSN004) first I took it to meet the education and turtles at Earthshine Mountain Lodge and Nature Center (see last photo). I found four of the turtles who were interested in meeting the turtle–the other seven did not want to have their photo placed on the internet 🙂

Three of the Earthshine turtles are Eastern Box Turtles and one is a Redfoot Tortoise. All of our turtles have either lost their homes due to development, are ex-pets or were badly injured due to unfortunate meetings with vehicles, lawn mowers or dogs. Tripod–on the bottom left–is our mascot. She lost her right rear leg after she was hit by a car in 2007. The turtle to Tripod’s left is Lucky. She was also hit by a car and suffered severe trauma to her left rear leg and shell but she has recovered nicely. The turtle to Lucky’s left is Crash. She was hit by a car and had such severe injuries that I did not think she would survive. After a visit to our veterinarian Dr. Coleman, I patched her up with epoxy, gave her some antibiotic injections and fed her loads of box turtle favorites and she has made a full recovery! The final turtle is Charlie. I found her at a reptile show and felt sorry for her so I gave her a great home at our nature center. Sadly, all of the turtles at Earthshine Lodge and Nature Center cannot be released due to their circumstances. They are however wonderful education animals that help teach people about the wonder and beauty of nature and why animals like the Eastern box turtle need understanding and protection.

After visiting with the turtles at Earthshine Lodge the Turtle of Change traveled with me to a local Veterinary Clinic–Sweeten Creek Animal and Bird Hospital–where I met up with Dr. Lee Bolt and Dr. Ron Davis to assist with the radio transmitter implantation surgery on a Timber Rattlesnake. Take a look at the photo of the turtle on the operating table with the rattlesnake, Dr. Davis (in yellow) and Dr. Bolt. The surgery went flawlessly and the snake has recovered and has been released back into the wild. Dr. Davis will track the snakes movements over the next few years in order to learn as much as possible about the life of the Timber Rattlesnake. The knowledge he gains will be imparted to his students who will become future wildlife biologists, conservationists and naturalists.

The next stop for the turtle was at a remote rock outcrop known as the “Secret Place” on the side of a mountain near Brevard, NC. USA. This rock shelter was used by the Native Americans as evidenced by the petroglyphs on top of the rock. I teamed up with my friend (and didgeridoo virtuoso) John Vorus to play didgeridoo (yidaki) over the turtle in this amazing power place. We first played our yidaki to the turtle on top of the rock then moved down under to the rock shelter and recorded a video. Take a look at the photo on top of the rock and video of our time at “The Secret Place.” View the short video of our concert for the turtle of change here.

 

The final stop for the turtle (so far) was when it followed me to the office of Dr. Coleman DVM. Dr. Coleman is a wonderful veterinarian and lover of all wildlife and my wildlife vet. I snapped the photograph of Dr. Coleman and the brass turtle while he was treating a wild box turtle. Thank you Dr. Coleman for all that you to for wildlife and for Earthshine Nature Programs!

THANK YOU Alan Cameron for presenting me with this great honor.

View the Turtles of Change website to learn more.

More to come!

Visit Earthshine Nature Programs at: www.earthshinenature.com

Visit John Vorus at www.johnvorus.com

Snake Tracks Update for 7.14.12

Posted on by Stevo

Great News!  Utsanati has recovered from his transmitter adjustment surgery and I have released him back into his habitat!  After spending the last month in captivity, having minor surgery, teaching over 200 children and adults about the beautiful and greatly misunderstood Timber rattlesnake and eating six mice and one small rabbit (not all at the same time) he was really ready to go home yesterday when I released him at his June capture location–the woodpile.  Upon his release I could tell that he knew exactly where he was as he quickly moved off into the hidden depths of the woodpile.  I do not know if he will stay around the area of the woodpile since the protective tarp has been removed.  I will locate him again in a day or so to verify his position.

Zoe has moved down off the ridge above the waterfall, moved across the abandoned fields and creek and was sheltering under a collapsed pole barn shed.  I have not seen Zoe in over a month due to the fact that on the last three or four locate days she has been under various types of cover that I could not safely navigate through to find her for two reasons: I did not want to disturb her and I did not want to risk getting bitten.  I believe that she has been laying low due to the record setting heat wave that the area has been subjected to over the last few weeks.

Watch the video below for details and vision of the last locate day for Zoe and Utsanati.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25HLegWNWwc

If you would like to support the Snake Tracks Timber Rattlesnake wildlife conservation, research, and education project and/or Earthshine Nature Programs please feel free to donate using this link. Receipts available upon request. THANK YOU!!

Unique Reptile Conservation and Education Programs

Posted on by Stevo

Hello all conservation minded reptile aficionados.  I would like to let all of you know a little bit about two of the reptile research, conservation and public education projects that I am conducting at Earthshine Mountain Lodge near the town of Brevard in Western North Carolina.

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The first project is Turtle Tracks is a unique wildlife conservation,  research and environmental education  program that is studying the Eastern Box Turtle.  We have been following several wild Eastern box turtles with mark-recapture and radio telemetry techniques since 2008.  Our goals are to  learn as much as we can about their natural movements, habits, habitats and interactions with humans and our domestic animals in fragmented habitats and to teach people about the lives of these beautiful creatures  that we share our world and existence with.  It is our belief that with education comes understanding, respect and then conservation and preservation.

Make the theme of your next vacation reptile conservation and visit us at  Earthshine Lodge.   At Earthshine you and your family will meet our education turtles,  learn about the Eastern box turtle and then take a turn using the radio telemetry equipment to help us locate a wild box turtle as you journey out into the fields and forests with us on your very own turtle tracking expedition.  You and your family will have the rare opportunity to experience what it is like to be a wildlife researcher following in the tracks of a wild box turtle in its native habitat!  Not only will you help locate one or more of our study animals but you will also help us collect data that will be part of a larger database that one day will ultimately help conserve and protect the humble and beautiful Eastern box turtle.

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You can learn more about the Turtle Tracks program on our website and sign up for updates from the Turtle Tracks project by following our blog.

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Many turtle tracking expeditions are filmed by Steve and placed on his Youtube.com site where you can watch your field expedition online once you return home and for years to come.  Also, check out a video compilation of the 2008 turtle tracking season below to see Turtle Tracks in action!

Our second program is Snake Tracks and, like Turtle Tracks,  it is also a wildlife conservation,  research and environmental education  program that is studying the Timber Rattlesnake.

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Currently, we are following the movements of two wild Timber rattlesnakes with radio telemetry techniques in order to learn more about their natural movements in the deep forests near Earthshine Lodge.  We have named the male snake Utsa’nätï –the Cherokee word for Rattlesnake and the female snake Zoe–Greek for life.  As with the box turtles we plan to follow these snakes for several years in order to learn all that we can about their travels in order to  educate visitors to Earthshine and viewers like you on the interesting, beautiful and greatly misunderstood life of the Timber rattlesnake.  We will bring you updates on their travels on the Earthshine Nature Programs Blog in the form of photos, videos and maps but unlike Turtle Tracks we do not plan to take folks into the field in search of these snakes or reveal their exact locations…for obvious reasons.

However: if you are a herpetologist, biologist, naturalist or scientist with a genuine interest, adequate safety equipment, and a valid reason to visit the rattlesnakes then there is a possibility that you could accompany Steve into the field on a tracking day.

Take a look at one of the most recent videos of Snake Tracks below.

You may also be interested in watching the video of the radio transmitter implantation on Utsanati below.  Note: My videos are longer than many found on  Youtube because I am not trying to create pop art–I am attempting to actually educate the viewer on wildlife and nature conservation so I do not leave much material out.

If you are a friend of herps and find these animals as remarkable and beautiful as I do, then consider bringing your family to Earthshine Mountain Lodge for a one of a kind fun filled all inclusive Blue Ridge mountain vacation that includes your favorite animals–reptiles and amphibians!

Other herp related activities we offer:

Nature/Science Education Center

Critter Hunt guided nature hike focusing on cover board/tin site surveys and conservation based field herping.

Creek Hike searching for native salamanders–this hike ends in a natural rock water slide.

And more!

For more about Earthshine Nature Programs please visit our website.

Follow our projects on the Earthshine Nature Blog.

Earthshine Nature Programs is a small, grass roots 501c3 non profit striving to educate people about the beauty and importance of the misunderstood creatures of the world, reptile and wildlife conservation and our place in the circle of life and energy in the universe.