It’s always exciting to encounter a turtle in the wild — but did you know that it’s also an opportunity to contribute to turtle conservation? Join NH Fish and Game turtle biologist Josh Megysey and Harris Center ecologist Nate Marchessault to learn how you can turn your turtle photos into data that can be used for research and conservation.

We’ll review how to submit turtle sightings to the state Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP) and the community science platform iNaturalist, discuss the differences between these two projects, and share how state biologists and others use this information for on-the-ground conservation efforts. We’ll also go over best practices for keeping turtle location data safe from potential poachers.

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. To get the login details, register here. Please save the confirmation email you receive from Zoom to access at the time of the event. Closed captioning will be available. For more information, contact Brett Amy Thelen.

Note: This event will be recorded. To ensure access to the recording, please register for this event, even if you cannot attend live. We will follow up with all registered participants when the recording is ready to view.

This program is supported by the NH State Conservation Committee Conservation Moose Plate Grant Program and is part of the Monadnock Region Turtle Conservation Initiative, a partnership between the Harris Center, Cheshire County Conservation District, NH Association of Conservation Commissions, NH Fish and Game, NH DES, USDA NRCS, and Moosewood Ecological.

A juvenile snapping turtle (Sam Stukel at USFWS via Wikimedia)