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Fairfield County Hotspot

Goal: Reduce terrapin road mortality at a hotspot in Fairfield County, Connecticut
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Background

 

  • Preliminary surveys for road-killed terrapins occurred in Fairfield County in 2019

    • These were part of â€‹a developing citizen science project by Maritime Aquarium, Western Connecticut State University, and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

  • These surveys identified one road mortality hotspot

    • Over 10 road-killed terrapins were documented here between July and September 2019

    • These included adult, juvenile, and hatchling turtles

    • This location is being referred to as the "Fairfield County Hotspot" (the exact location is kept private to protect terrapins from illegal collection)

    • State and federal officials have expressed interest in mitigating terrapin road mortality here

  • Tyler Mahard began conducting weekly surveys at this location in May 2020

    • These data will help determine the effectiveness of any mitigation action that may be implemented​

    • Mitigation action for turtle road mortality typically includes turtle crossing signs, specialized barriers to keep turtles out of roadways, or specialized underpasses

Objectives

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  • Continue weekly surveys for terrapin activity and road-killed wildlife at the Fairfield County Hotspot

    • Continue to document all observations of terrapin activity and road-killed wildlife through October 2020

    • Share data weekly with Western Connecticut State University, CT DEEP Wildlife Division, the Maritime Aquarium, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service

  • Use data to create a report that details where, when, and how terrapin activity occurs at this location

    • The report will include maps and information on road mortality of other wildlife in addition to terrapins

    • The report will be shared with organizations listed above

    • A summarized version of the report will be made publicly available on this website, with sensitive location information removed

Results

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  • Funds raised through the 2020 GoFundMe campaign covered weekly road mortality surveys for the entire 2020 season, and part of the field 2021 season

    • These data have been shared with institutions listed above​

    • The remainder of surveys during 2021 were covered by CT DEEP

  • Due to limited funding and time, a report has yet to be completed, but this may occur sometime in late 2022​​ or early 2023

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