In the News

This story appeared in the East Bay Newspaper
April 20, 2005

WESTPORT - In the wild, Squirt would be dodging seagulls, fish, raccoons and all the other threats that make survival dicey for little Diamondback Terrapins. But for this lively turtle, life is good among the seventh graders in Betsy Dickinson's Westport Middle School science classroom.

There he (or maybe she — the jury is still out) dines on shrimp and other terrapin delicacies, frolics in clean 80 degree water, and enjoys the attentions of eager student volunteers. His species is listed as "threatened," by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, but Squirt, at least, is thriving.

The youngster is the beneficiary of an effort by the Lloyd Center, The Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford and several other groups. They have teamed up to give terrapin hatchlings a fighting chance to reach adulthood. Volunteers gather turtle eggs from their sandy underground nests in the summer and those eggs are then incubated at Buttonwood Park Zoo. Later, when deemed strong enough, the turtles are farmed out to several area schools — and this year one landed in Westport Middle School.

Ms. Dickinson said she has no shortage of student turtle tenders.

"One of the hard parts is giving everyone who wants to help a chance," she said, adding that the students take their work seriously.

Last Friday, that duty befell Corinne Ainsworth, Jennifer Cabecinha and Tim Grundy.

Feeding time is the most fun they said. To prevent messing up his aquarium with food bits, they transfer him to the "dining room," a second aquarium used only at mealtime.

The menu includes tiny brine shrimp and silversides (foods he would be apt to find in the wild) with vitamins.

"He definitely likes the shrimp best," Tim said.

The students also weigh and measure the turtle, monitor food intake, keep the tank clean and just the right temperature, and keep scientific records of their work.

Jennifer said she loves caring for the turtle and especially enjoys holding him briefly during the daily tank transfers. His claws are sharp, she said, but don't hurt. They added that he is fun to watch and that he often seems to be watching them as he swims about.

The end of the school year will be bittersweet because that is the time for the students to bid farewell to their turtle. Sometime this summer, Squirt will be released to the Marion marsh where he was found (the Lloyd Center prefers not to reveal precise locations to prevent undue disturbance to the creatures.

But Tricia Sheppard, education director at the Lloyd Center, said the students can take pride in the fact that they have given this terrapin a good head start. Half-grown, well fed and strong, Squirt will be vulnerable to far fewer predators and dangers.

"He will stand a very good chance of doing just fine," she said.

Now in its second year (though the first for Westport schools), "This project gets students involved in a real-life research project," she said, and gives them a chance to "do something positive for the environment and help protect a (threatened) species."

Other participants in the effort are the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, Dartmouth YMCA, Massachusetts Audubon Society and Tabor Academy.

Diamond terrapin facts

Description: Grayish skin with dark spots, large, powerful webbed feet with sharp claws The carapace (top shell) has 13 'scutes' ringed like diamond facets. Hatchlings are about 1 inch long; adult females can reach 8-9 inches long and weigh 3.5 pounds, males are a bit smaller.

Home: Local salt marshes, adjoining brackish rivers, creeks and coves. Massachusetts is the northern extent of their range

Threats: Habitat loss due to development; predators (when young) — gulls and other birds, raccoons, fish, dogs, foxes and more

We name you Squirt.

When the terrapin arrived at her classroom, teacher Betsy Dickinson invited students to suggest names and vote for a winner (they did so uncertain of the turtle's sex. Suggestions included:

Squirt (the eventual winner)
Aramis
Lenny
Mo
CJ
Alfred the Great
Miguel Sanchez

By Bruce Burdett

This story appeared in the East Bay Newspaper
April 20, 2005