National Recovery Plan For Blanding S Turtle Emydoidea Blandingii Nova Scotia Population

This plan has been prepared to define recovery actions necessary to protect and recover the Nova Scotia population of Blanding's turtle. The introduction presents background on the conservation status of the species and the biology of Blanding's turtle in Nova Scotia. Section 2 discusses factors affecting the vulnerability of the species, the role of the turtle in the Nova Scotia Atlantic interior ecosystem, and the recovery potential of the species. Section 3 outlines the recovery plan, including goals & objectives, strategies, and a sequence of actions. Additional information is provided for each step of the plan: determination of habitat requirements and availability, implementation of habitat protection, clarifying understanding of the turtle's life history, stabilizing population age structure through increased recruitment, investigating population genetics, and providing data storage and access. The final section contains a plan implementation schedule.

Reports a study conducted to: document the movement patterns of young Blandings turtles (Emydoidea blandingii); and identify areas used by young turtles as rearing grounds and hibernation sites. The study area was located in a park in south-western Nova Scotia. The turtles were hand-reared to an age when they could be fitted with radio transmitters and were then released at four sites, three located on small brooks and the fourth at a small pond. All release sites had boggy floodplain areas dominated by shrubs, grasses, and sphagnum moss. Tagged turtles were tracked daily for the first few days after release to determine whether they would move significantly after release. When determined they would not move significantly, they were positioned by telemetry every 3-7 days and recaptured every 3-14 days. Recaptured turtles were measured and examined to determine their condition. Results are presented and discussed related to turtle survival, movement, predation, behaviour, and habitat use.