Helps rare native turtles rebound from declining population
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| URI senior Jordan Powell holds a rare diamondback terrapin near the Potowomut River in East Greenwich. (Photo courtesy of Jordan Powell.) |
The Houston native spent the summer
as a Science and Engineering Fellow working with Professor Laura Meyerson to
study and monitor a declining population of a rare turtle in East Greenwich.
“I’ve always been interested in
science, and I especially like environmental science, so when one of my
favorite professors asked me to help with her diamondback terrapin project, I
jumped at it,” said Powell, a senior majoring in environmental science and management.
Diamondback terrapins are on the
state list of rare species, and their population along the Potowomut River has
been declining because few hatchlings have survived in recent years.
“They haven’t been reproducing much at this site in a couple of years,” Powell said, “so my job was to figure out why they aren’t producing many hatchlings.”
Every day during the summer, Powell
and fellow students Tim Alfrey, Marina Capraro and Joe Johnson conducted soil
surveys, tidal elevation surveys, vegetation surveys, and population surveys.
They also took notes on potential predators in the area and observed the human
population to see how significantly they disturb the reptiles.
“The turtles are easily spooked, so
we’d sneak around to see if we could see any turtles nesting,” Powell
explained. “Then when the turtle leaves, we’d put a marker by it and place a
cage around it so nothing could get at the eggs.”
He even helped design a new cage
that would do a better job of keeping potential predators from digging beneath
it to access the turtle eggs, while also prohibiting long-beaked birds from
grabbing the baby turtles after they emerge from the sand.
“It was a great thing to see it all
come together,” he said. “So far, nothing has breached the cage.”
Most of the turtles are expected to
hatch in the next couple weeks, so as the new school year begins, Powell will
make periodic visits to the site to keep an eye on them. Faculty at the nearby
Rocky Hill School will also monitor the turtle hatchlings and report their findings
to the URI researchers.
Powell said that his favorite part
of the project was the opportunity to work hands-on with the rare turtles.
“But I also really liked designing
the cage to help protect them. And, surprisingly, I liked the labor of putting
it all together, too,” he said. “When you see it all come together and see it
work, that’s pretty cool.”
Powell’s research was funded through
a Science and Engineering Fellowship from the URI College of the Environment
and Life Sciences. The program aims to foster the development of research
skills in undergraduate students from under-represented cultural backgrounds by
providing them with hands-on experiences working with research faculty or
staff. The fellowship helps students become more prepared to enter the job
market with the professional skills and training needed to succeed.
As he begins his final year of college, the centerfielder is optimistic about the URI baseball team’s chances for post-season play, and he’s keeping his fingers crossed that he gets drafted to play professionally. But if that’s not in the cards, he plans to enroll in graduate school and eventually get a job as an environmental consultant or a science teacher.
And if those plans don’t pan out
either, he can always continue his turtle research.