SEATTLE - One hundred and four western pond turtle hatchlings are out of quarantine at Woodland Park Zoo. These endangered silver dollar-sized turtles are part of the zoo’s successful Head Start program, a last-chance effort to save the turtles from extinction in our state. The hatchlings are not on public view.

Head Start is a joint effort between the zoo and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The program includes both captive breeding and the gathering of newly hatched turtles from wild sites to nurture in captivity until they grow large enough to avoid being easy prey. Next summer, the zoo and Fish and Wildlife plan to reintroduce the 104 turtles into the wild.

Since 1990, Frank Slavens, the zoo’s curator of reptiles, has directed the captive breeding program. He and his wife, Kate, coordinate fieldwork for the western pond turtle project. Dedicated to the conservation of western pond turtles, they make frequent trips throughout eastern and western Washington in search of nesting sites and hatchlings.

"Our goal is to re-establish a self-sustaining population of these turtles in western Washington," Slavens says.

What happened to the turtles? Most of the natural wetlands have been polluted or filled in for development, resulting in habitat loss. Additionally, the turtles have been forced to compete with a number of nonnative species introduced by humans, such as other turtle species and fish. Also, nonnative species, such as bullfrogs and large mouth bass, prey on young turtles, reducing the turtle’s likelihood for survival. Their plight worsened in 1990, when researchers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife noticed that western pond turtles were dying of an unknown epidemic that reduced the state’s turtle population by about 20 percent in one summer.

Western pond turtles disappeared in western Washington and less than 200 individuals were thought to survive in the eastern portion of the state. Today, due to the Head Start program, a small population of 25 turtles are living in western Washington, and 200 have been released into the eastern Washington populations.

The western pond turtle, Clemmys marmorata, typically ranges from Washington to Baja, California. The future of the western pond turtle is still in jeopardy, and without conservation efforts, would look worse. Head starting turtles is only part of the action taken in recognition of the decline of this species. Monitoring turtles that are in the wild, educating the public about the situation the western pond turtle is facing, and protecting and restoring habitat are some of the other programs being undertaken on their behalf.