By MADDY VITALE
A group of volunteers, headed by Steve and Susan Ahern, of the Sea Isle Terrapin Rescue organization, spent Saturday morning carefully bringing to the surface diamondback terrapins from two nesting boxes behind the library.
The hatchlings, which were buried in the sand, were then counted and taken to the marshland to be released. While last year the Aherns and other dedicated volunteers discovered 365 baby terrapins, this year there were just 29 uncovered during Saturday’s dig. In addition, 35 hatchlings were rescued by the Aherns in September.
Steve Ahern explained that he believes one of the reasons for fewer hatchlings found Saturday could have a lot to do with a hot and dry summer.
“This season was a little different. I think that there were more nesting turtles out than there have been in a long time, which was good. The hot and dry weather seemed to accelerate the hatchlings,” Ahern said. “They hatched faster than the normal eight to 12 weeks. It (the hot weather) seemed to act almost like an incubator.”
The nesting boxes give turtles an alternative place to lay their eggs. They are not in harm’s way near roads and there is a gate designed to help keep out predators.
This season, Ahern explained, that because of the dryness and lack of rain, weeds and other grasses didn’t grow in the sandy soil of the nesting boxes. The grasses provide a cool environment and cover from predators for the terrapin eggs.
“We didn’t have many weeds in our boxes. What we saw was even the babies were coming out earlier and I’d have to reach in and get them,” Ahern said.
To help with the dig were local families and members of Sea Isle City Girl Scout Troop 41012.
Each year, the Girl Scouts volunteer their time to help with the dig. They also help the Aherns during the year.
“All the kids got to find a turtle and release them into the marsh,” Ahern pointed out. “We had about nine Girl Scouts and some of their parents and another 10 or 12 other people. We were able to have a number of volunteers digging in each box.”
Troop 41012 has helped the Sea Isle City Terrapin Rescue with other projects as well as the digs.
“They have gotten involved in helping us with some of our projects in the spring and helped us put together enclosures,” Ahern said.
The enclosures can be placed on nesting areas to ward away predators and provide a safer environment for the turtles to lay their eggs. This year, Ahern said there were roughly 20 enclosures in areas of town.
“This was the next step,” he said of the Girl Scouts being a part of a dig and the release of the terrapins. “They get to see the results of helping. They see the baby turtles, learn what they do and release them and watch them go into the marshy area. It gets them excited to help out.”
Diamondback terrapins can live for 30 to 40 years, but with roadwork, construction, shore traffic and deaths related to the fishing industry, longevity is always a concern.
The terrapins have not been listed as threatened or endangered in New Jersey, but they are listed as decreasing. Only one egg in a thousand grows up to be an adult turtle.
There were some instances where predators got to the terrapin eggs in the nesting boxes this season, but for the most part, Ahern believed that the turtles came out earlier this season due to the temperatures.
“I think we rescued 35 of them by the beginning of September. That was a little unusual for them to come out that much. Since then, we really didn’t see any activity in the box at all,” he said.
Female diamondback terrapins emerge from their coastal marshlands habitat in search of a patch of sandy soil for a nesting area to lay their eggs from May through about July each year.
Each year, the volunteers uncover about 60 terrapins when they do the fall dig.
Last year was a remarkable, yet not a typical occurrence, when the number of terrapins found jumped to 365 from the nesting boxes.
Overall, Ahern called Saturday’s dig very successful.
“When we went in today, we found whoever was left. We found a lot of evidence of broken shells, which means there was a lot of hatchlings and of them, there was good evidence of them leaving,” he said, noting that they dismantled the nesting boxes until next spring.
The Aherns are continually working with county and state officials to help the terrapins.
A couple of years ago, the county installed metal fencing along Sea Isle Boulevard, which has helped keep turtles from crossing the roadway, where many have been killed, Ahern said.
Next year, the plan is to improve the nesting boxes, possibly reinforcing them so that they become even harder for predators to penetrate.
And moving forward, Ahern said the hope is to expand the area for nesting boxes, to the northern area of town for Landis Avenue entering Strathmere.
“Every year is something different,” he said of the findings. “Every year there is a new adventure.”
For more information about Sea Isle Terrapin Rescue or to reach Steve and Susan Ahern, call (609) 263-7358.
