A good day for Davidson College biologist Jackie Guzy is
splashing around a muddy wetland, no matter what interesting
creatures she may find. Its a great day if she spots a bog
turtle one of the worlds smallest and rarest. But what recently
happened in a Gaston County wetland was cause for extreme
jubilation: Guzy plucked two baby bog turtles out of the mud in
the same month. For years, researchers had known the small,
brightly marked turtles were at the site, a Catawba Lands
Conservancy preserve. However, the population of about 45 had
declined to about 15 and these turtles numbered and found over
and over were at least 20 years old and possibly 50 or 60 years.
Scientists feared the bog turtles at the once-thriving haven
might all die. Guzys discovery of 1-year-old and 3-year-old
turtles proves theres new blood in the bog and hope for the
future. When I found the turtles I screamed for joy and jumped
up and down, said Guzy, 29, a research scientist and turtle
project manager at Davidsons biology department.