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The Santa Fe River Turtle Project
Turtles!
by Lucinda Faulkner Merritt
| IF YOU’VE FLOATED or paddled the Ichetucknee River or the other rivers in North Florida, you’ve seen them basking in the sun on top of submerged logs, often in large groups. You’ve heard them PLOP! as they enter the water when your tube or paddle craft comes too close. Maybe you’ve seen them swimming underwater. Maybe you’ve even photographed them. And you’ll recognize them immediately as some of our most beloved neighbors, freshwater turtles.
Several years ago, I attended a talk about turtles in North Florida that was given by Professor Jerry Johnston of Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Johnston heads the Santa Fe River Turtle Project and what he told us was amazing.
The greatest number of freshwater turtle species in the world exists in Asia. The second greatest number of freshwater turtle species exists in the southeastern United States, and within that region the greatest number of freshwater turtle species exists in the Suwannee, Santa Fe and Ichetucknee region of North Florida! So one could argue that as far as freshwater turtle species diversity is concerned, we’re number two!
According to the Santa Fe River Turtle Project’s website, the Santa Fe River and its associated springs are home to 11 native turtle species and 4 non-native turtles. Approximately 25 percent of all North American freshwater turtles inhabit this small river system, and each species has a unique story of how it manages to live in our area. The website includes information about basking turtles, snapping turtles, little bottom walkers, “oddballs” and non-natives.
The project is a collaborative effort that includes participation by scientists, students and citizens to learn about the turtles that inhabit the Santa Fe River System, including the Ichetucknee, and to promote conservation of the entire Santa Fe River ecosystem.