Welcome to Megan's REU Site

	Chelydra serpentina	Study Site: Upper and Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area	Attaching a radio transmitter to a turtle

My research experience at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY during the summer of 2005 consisted mainly of one thing: TURTLES! I worked with Dr. Tom Langen on his project,"Design and evaluation of prototype barriers and tunnels to reduce the impact of roads on turtle populations." My specific project focused on the "Movement patterns of nesting Chelydra serpentina females across sites bordering NYS Highway 68, St. Lawrence County, NY." To conduct this research, I spent many hours in the field trapping and radio-tracking turtles through the swamps, marchs, tall grass fields, and wooded areas of the Upper and Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area. I tracked adult female snapping turtles to determine the distance turtles travel to nest along roadsides and to map the routes taken to get to roads. Ultimately, this information was used to calculate the "road effect zone", which is the area surrounding the road that is affected by it. This research, in combination with that of previous years, will be used in conjunction with similar projects on nesting behavior and viability of nests along roads, toward the goal of implementing a set of tunnels and barriers to help reduce the negative impacts roads are currently exerting on turtle populations and hopefully, to prevent any further declines.

	Turtle with radio attached	Big snapping turtle	Common snapping turtle