Princeton Students Fight For Recognition For Endangered Turtle

PRINCETON, NJ — Thanks to the efforts of a group of students and teachers at Riverside Elementary School in Princeton, an endangered species is a step closer to becoming New Jersey’s official State Reptile.

On Monday, March 26, teacher Mark Eastburn and two of his students testified before the Senate State Government, Waging, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee in favor of legislation to designate the bog turtle as New Jersey’s Official State Reptile, according to State Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-16), who sponsored the legislation.

The bog turtle is one of the smallest and rarest turtles in North America. A fully-grown bog turtle is about 4 inches long and weighs about 3.9 ounces. It closely resembles a spotted turtle and its closest relative is the wood turtle.

While 26 states have state reptiles, New Jersey remains one of those that don’t. So the students in Eastburn’s class got to work preserving recognition for the bog turtle, an animal that was once found in all but three of New Jersey’s 21 counties, according to Bateman’s office.

“From their first letters to Senator Bateman, to the Senator’s introduction of the first state reptile bill, and now to statewide activism between schools for bills in both the State Senate and General Assembly, this project has been a wonderfully enlightening opportunity for children to learn how their state government works,” Eastburn said. “What impressed me the most was their perseverance; they have now been working on this process for more than a year, with no signs of giving up until their favorite turtle is recognized as a state symbol.”

Eastburn was joined at Monday’s hearing by sixth-grader Avi Weiss and fifth-grader Vita Moss-Wang.
“You used to be able to find bog turtles almost anywhere in New Jersey, but habitat destruction has really taken its toll here,” Bateman said. “We have to act fast before bog turtles are gone from the Garden State forever. I am very grateful to the students at Riverside Elementary and their teacher, Mark Eastburn, for inspiring me to become a fierce advocate for this unique and special creature. Together we will work hard to save New Jersey’s bog turtles from extinction.”

The proposed legislation was passed. It will now go for a hearing before the full State Senate. Its sister bill in the Assembly is under consideration by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. It is sponsored by Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-16).

Efforts are already underway at the state and federal level. The US Department of Fish and Wildlife and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) are working with landowners to preserve bog turtle habitats. For more on efforts to save the bog turtle, visit endangered.org.

The attached images were provided. Photo credit: SenateNJ.com:

Photo #1: Princeton students Avi Weiss (left) and Vita Moss-Wang (center) joined Senator Kip Bateman at the March 26, 2018 Senate State Government Committee Hearing, to testify in support of his bill to designate the bog turtle as New Jersey’s Official State Reptile.

Photo # 2: From left: Vita Moss-Wang, a Princeton fifth-grader at Riverside Elementary School, Avi Weiss, a Princeton sixth-grader at John Witherspoon Middle School, Senator Kip Bateman, and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker before testifying in support of making the endangered bog turtle New Jersey’s Official State Reptile.