BERLIN – A local nonprofit is seeking volunteers for its annual terrapin survey.
From June 1 through June 12, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) will conduct a survey from land and water to determine the population of terrapins within the coastal bays system.
To that end, the organization is seeking individuals of all ages and levels of experience to participate in the annual tally.
“Not only is it a great educational opportunity for both adults and kids, but it helps us at the Maryland Coastal Bays Program gather data on a larger scale than we could with just our staff,” said MCBP Environmental Scientist Katherine Phillips.
Since 2012, MCBP has partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to organize terrapin headcount surveys.
In an effort to better understand the population status, the nonprofit continues to coordinate these annual counts by engaging the community on protecting Maryland’s state reptile.
“With the terrapin, their population status is unknown,” Phillips said. “In the past, we looked at hotspots and areas to focus our efforts. Now with new standards and protocols, we are hoping to get more population counts out of this data.”
As the diamondback terrapin inhabits the brackish waters in the bays and creeks, counts take place on both land and water. Phillips said volunteers who sign up for this year’s survey will be assigned to different areas within the coastal bays watershed. They will also have two weeks to go out and collect data on their own schedules.
“They’ll go out to their sites and do headcounts for land-based surveys,” she said. “For water-based surveys, they use their own methods of transportation – whether that’s kayak, paddleboard or boat – and go out to their assigned routes.”
Phillips said the goal of the terrapin survey is to collect data on population changes. Last year, the nonprofit had to scale back its efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2019, 60 participants counted 668 terrapins during the survey period.
“Our goal is to see what the population is like and if it’s changing over time …,” she said. “With more volunteers, we saw more terrapins.”
Phillips said a virtual training will be mandatory for those wishing to participate. A link to a filmed training video will be sent to interested volunteers to view on their own time.
For more information, or to sign up, contact Katherine Phillips at [email protected].
