Today, DCLT TerraCorps members’ Charly Raymond and Lydia Rheinhardt, DCLT Advisor Gail Hart and Trustee Ann Risso, met with Tom Hoppensteadt, Orenda Wildlife & Land Trust Steward and Terrapin Program Coordinator. The group hiked and learned more about Orenda’s Diamondback terrapin monitoring program.
Tom provided a tour of the “turtle garden,” where terrapins nest and lay their eggs, and explained how the area is monitored throughout the nesting season. When nests are located, they are marked and protected with chicken wire to help prevent predation. These conservation efforts are especially important on Cape Cod, where Diamondback terrapins face numerous threats, including habitat loss from coastal development, increased road mortality as females cross roads to reach nesting sites, predation by raccoons and other animals, and the impacts of climate change on coastal habitats.
Protecting nests and monitoring populations help improve hatchling survival and provide valuable information for long-term conservation planning.
The group also visited Great Marsh to observe the habitat used by terrapins. Following the tour, Tom accompanied Charly and staff on a walk through the terrapin property, where he confirmed the presence of nests and numerous signs of terrapin activity, underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring and stewardship efforts to support Cape Cod’s terrapin populations.