Join us for an exciting and educational event with a Zoo New England field biologist! Kirsten will discuss the local conservation efforts on the Box and Blanding's turtles and how you can make a difference. Both species reside in eastern Massachusetts and have populations in the Great Groton area. This event is perfect for all ages, and you'll even meet our turtle friends!
Fewer than 3,000 individuals of the large and gentle freshwater Blanding turtle species may remain in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania combined. In Massachusetts, where most of the northeastern Blanding’s turtles live, only four populations are currently known to have 50 or more adult turtles.
The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is Massachusetts’ only fully terrestrial turtle. They are rarer, and populations have declined significantly in recent decades through habitat loss and fragmentation in Massachusetts. Although there had been scattered reports of individual box turtles in northeastern Massachusetts, sustainable populations were thought to be potentially absent from this area.
Zoo New England Conservation is more than a great day with family at Franklin Park or Stone Zoo. It's also a world-class conservation organization dedicated to making a difference for animals right here in New England as well as all over the world. https://www.zoonewengland.org/protect/here-in-new-england/
**All proceeds benefit Prescott Community Center.**
Kirsten Ward is the conservation Outreach Coordinator. Kirsten's duties include nest monitoring, turtle tracking, giving educational programs and field trips, and making sure that as many people as possible learn about Zoo New England’s amazing local and international conservation work. Kirsten received honors in biology from UMass Boston in 2022 and since then has been on beaches protecting coastal waterbirds, in college lecture halls teaching biology, and now out in the field with Zoo New England on an enthusiastic mission to share her passion for conservation.
Kirsten Ward
