Team Terrapin Marks a Decade of Diamondback Terrapin Conservation in Northeast Florida

Ten years ago, a small group of researchers, students and volunteers waded into the coastal marshes of Northeast Florida with a shared mission: to understand and protect one of the region's most vulnerable native species. A decade later, that mission is still going strong.

Founded as a partnership between Turtle Survival Alliance and Florida State Parks, with support from Jacksonville University and the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Team Terrapin conducts daily research surveys from April through September every year, gathering critical data on the diamondback terrapin. A marsh-dwelling species with a distinctive diamond-shaped pattern on its shell, the local terrapin species is increasingly under pressure from the threats that come with a rapidly developing coastline.

Those threats have only grown more complex over the past decade. Habitat loss, road mortality, boat strikes and crab traps have long posed dangers to terrapin populations. Warmer incubation conditions also appear to be producing increased rates of terminated nests, developmental deformities and premature hatching. Last year, the species was petitioned for listing as endangered.

"It's the only turtle in the entire world that lives in our salt marshes in that estuarine kind of system that is your mix of brackish, your mix of salt and freshwater," said Tabitha Hootman, biology and marine science lab manager. "They're incredibly important to their environment. These guys are primary, being the only turtle that lives in brackish water, so they fill functions of both predator and prey to help keep the ecosystem in check."

Against that backdrop, the research Team Terrapin has conducted over the past decade carries real stakes. Notably, the program has found that local female terrapins appear to move through their habitats differently than populations elsewhere in Florida, and researchers have gained new insight into hatchlings' movements during their crucial first year. The program also reached a milestone this past spring when it released its first rehabilitated diamondback terrapin back into the wild.

Throughout it all, students and community volunteers have been essential. A dedicated volunteer base allows the team to collect observations across a far wider area and for a longer period than a research team alone could cover, turning community members into active contributors to data that shapes real conservation decisions.

"One of my best moments was being able to see one of the nest hatch, 10 hatchlings come out," said Shannon McNeil, a Jacksonville University alumna. "Just being able to be there when they first see the light. The first thing that they see is you and then you're able to work with them.You're able to do all the measurements, like a little checkup on them. And then you get to see them off and into the wild they go. And who knows what happens, but probably one of my favorite moments by far."

On Sept. 19, Team Terrapin celebrated its 10th anniversary at Bold City Brewery, bringing together researchers, students, volunteers and community members for an evening of turtle meet-and-greets, live music, raffles and conservation education. For every beer purchased, $1 was donated to support the team's ongoing fieldwork.

For a program built on patience, persistence and the quiet rhythms of marsh research, 10 years is both a milestone and a starting point. The terrapins are still out there, and so is Team Terrapin.