Follow Wood Turtles at Audubon First Friday 

At Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday on December 3, Sara Crayton will share what she has learned from radio-tracking the elusive Wood Turtle. The West Virginia University PhD candidate is pictured last summer deep in the Allegheny National Forest, guiding teens during Audubon’s Teen Camp, Reptile Round-up.

JAMESTOWN – Where do Wood Turtles go when no one is watching? Biologist Sara Crayton started radio-tracking these elusive turtles to find out.  

At Audubon Community Nature Center’s (ACNC) First Friday on December 3, you can join the West Virginia University PhD student in “Following Wood Turtles” to learn about their natural history, conservation efforts, and current research.  

Crayton’s doctoral work focuses on responses of Wood Turtle populations to landscape alteration for oil and gas development in Pennsylvania. She will share what she has learned about this incredible species, their habits, and how human activity affects them.  





Wood Turtles are a semi-aquatic species that spends much of the spring, summer, and fall wandering through upland forests before hibernating in streams through the winter. They can live up to 60 years in the wild, make remarkable long-distance journeys, and engage in some fascinating behaviors. Unfortunately, the species is now in sharp decline and is considered to be globally endangered.  

Last summer ACNC Public Engagement Specialist Jeff Tome took eight tweens and teens in Audubon’s Teen Camp, Reptile Round-up to Crayton’s study site “in the middle of nowhere” in the Allegheny National Forest. They spent the day using her equipment, searching for wood turtles and other animals. She let the kids take measurements, weigh the turtles, and use the equipment. As Tome described, “It was pretty cool — I would have paid for the experience!” 

From Farmington, Pennsylvania, Crayton received her BA in Biology from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, where she completed research on the signaling behavior of wolf spiders. As an intern at The Wilds in Ohio, she trapped turtles at a reclaimed strip mine and raised hellbenders in a headstart facility. She has completed wildlife inventories along the Missouri River, mist-netted saw-whet owls, and captured hawks. Her Master’s research at West Virginia University investigated whether stream salamander populations are affected by the insecticide imidacloprid.  





















The fee for this program is $8, or $6 for Nature Center members and children ages 9-15.  

Space is limited. Reservations are appreciated by calling (716) 569-2345 or going to AudubonCNC.org and clicking through “Upcoming Programs.” Walk-ins are welcome. 

For First Friday, chairs are set up in a socially distant manner. Participants who come together may sit together. 

Audubon takes into consideration regional data from both Chautauqua and Warren counties to make COVID-19 related decisions and to follow CDC recommendations at minimum. To review ACNC’s most up-to-date COVID-19 requirements, which include information on face coverings and gathering limitations, visit AudubonCNC.org and read the COVID-19 Notice at the top of the page. 









Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can enjoy the grounds, with its six miles of trails, and view Liberty, Audubon’s non-releasable Bald Eagle, dawn to dusk daily, free of charge.  

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, the 2021 Nature Photography Contest winners, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members enjoy free building admission daily, and building admission is free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members as well.  

The building will be closed on Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Day. 

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org. 

This story is provided by the Audubon Community Nature Center, however WNY News Now is solely responsible for publishing this content.  

 

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