Our Turtle Team Needs YOU!

Orenda Wildlife Land Trust is seeking your help protecting Diamondback terrapin turtles at our “Turtle Garden” located on one of our Sanctuaries in West Barnstable, where they have been nesting in large numbers for years. Terrapins are listed as “Threatened” in Massachusetts due to various factors including overharvesting in the 19th century, predation, traffic, and habitat loss.

Terrapins spend most of their lives in the salt marsh. Each summer, females lay their eggs in sandy areas above the high tide line. Eggs hatch a couple months later and hatchlings make their way to upper rim of the marsh, where they mature for several years before entering the larger marsh area.
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During the summer of 2021, we will be actively performing habitat management, nest identification and protection, hatching observation, and mapping of our resilient, reptilian residents.

Please check out our Project Description and Call for Volunteers (PDF) and use our Turtle Team Volunteer Signup Form if you would like to sign up as a Turtle Team member. We will hold our first field training session and work day on May 25th at 10 AM to meet and greet the team and explain our approach.

Hope to see you there!