What:
More than 65 endangered western pond turtles (Clemmys marmorata marmorata) raised at Woodland Park Zoo and Oregon Zoo will be released into the wild in the Columbia River Gorge. The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project is a collaborative effort between Oregon Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to help the rare turtle.

When:
Wednesday, July 16, 1:00 p.m.

Where:
Columbia River Gorge near Beacon Rock (Stevenson, Wash.). Directions are at the end of the advisory. For the protection of the turtles, please do not disclose the release site.

Who:
Head of Woodland Park Zoo’s Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project, Frank Slavens; western pond turtle expert, Kate Slavens; Oregon Zoo Conservation Scientist, Dr. David Shepherdson; and WDFW biologists will release the turtles and be available for interviews.

Info:
The batch of endangered turtles being released is part of a “head start” program at both Woodland Park and Oregon Zoos. Each year since the head starting project began 13 years ago, western pond turtle experts Frank Slavens and Kate Slavens and recovery workers seasonally capture adult female turtles in the wild, fit them with transmitters, and release and track them until they nest in late spring and early summer. After natural incubation, the hatchlings are collected for zoo rearing until they are too big for the large mouths of non-native bullfrogs and large mouth bass to eat. Once they reach a suitable size æ about 45 grams (1.6 ounces) æ they are returned to suitable habitat and monitored for survival and habitat use.

The turtles were once a common sight in the Puget Sound region. But by 1990, due to the destruction of wetlands, human development, and introduced predators such as bullfrogs and fish, the numbers in Washington state dwindled to fewer than 200 individual turtles. Since the head start program, 687 turtles have been restored to their natural habitat and, this year, a bumper crop of 28 turtle nests were tracked in the wild.

The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project is a part of Woodland Park Zoo’s new Partners for Wildlife conservation initiative, an expansion of the zoo’s efforts and resources on proven wildlife conservation projects. The zoo currently supports more than three dozen conservation projects locally and in 42 countries around the globe.

Directions to turtle release site:

• From I-5 southbound, head on 205 south to Salem (Exit 7).
• Take the Camas exit on Hwy 14 to mile post 36.
• Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is on the right hand side of the road, second gate on the right past Beacon Rock.