A Turtle's-Eye View

Students from Ellington, Tolland and Rockville gathered at the bank of Shenipsit Lake Saturday morning to celebrate the sendoff of one technology-savvy turtle.

"Champ," a 34-pound snapping turtle, was released back into the water this morning with a “crittercam” – a small, state-of-the-art, high definition camera – strapped on his back, all in the name of the Turtle Conservation Project, whose mission is to protect New England’s turtles and their habitats.

Arick Barsche, the event's project coordinator, said that National Geographic uses similar equipment to gather information about wild animals in their natural habitat, and that Champ’s crittercam, which can record up to eight hours of activity, was made specifically for the project.

“Being that a snapping turtle rarely leaves the water... we’ll be able to get a better understanding of their life underwater," Barsche said, "With this information we’ll be able to in the future, help its natural habitat.”

Later this evening, Champ's camera will retract from his back and float to the surface of the water. The camera’s radio-transmitter will then allow project organizers to locate the device, retrieve it from the lake and analyze the data, Barsch said.

On Sunday at 9 a.m., organizers will release a second snapping turtle with a camera into the lake – a 15-pounder by the name of "Shenipsit" – to see what other new information can be discovered.

The project will conclude with a 7 p.m. ceremony at the Elks Lodge in Vernon in honor of World Turtle Day. Crittercam inventor Greg Marshall of National Geographic will give a presentation on his invention and Barsche will have some turtles native to Connecticut on hand.

“One of the main reasons we’re doing this, is because there is about 283 different species of turtles and tortoises in the is world, and about 90 percent of them are endangered,” Barsche said.

Twelve turtle species (including four sea turtles) occur in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP’s Web site lists seven of these turtles are currently on the state's List of Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species.

Due in part to these staggering facts, the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) has proclaimed 2011 as the Year of the Turtle. The campaign aims to increase state and federal involvement in turtle issues in order to protect and conserve the species. 

According to www.ct.gov/dep, here’s what you can do to help:

• Leave turtles in the wild.
• Never release a captive turtle into the wild
• Do not disturb nesting turtles.
• As you drive, watch out for turtles crossing the road.
• Learn more about turtles and educate others.