Snapping turtle research team
Snapping turtle ecology:
In conjunction with many generous private volunteers, several local Connecticut organizations including Our Piece of the Pie and Riverfront Recapture as well as the National Geographic Society, I am working with about a dozen high school students on a snapping turtle ecology project. The primary goal is to allow these young teenagers growing up in urban Hartford, CT access to nature, science and career options they might not otherwise be exposed to. The first phase of the project includes a study of nest protector devices that is designed to keep out large mammalian predators. The second phase involves trapping snappers and outfitting them with National Geographic's CritterCam. We have caught our first turtles and are testing attachment options for a $14000 camera on turtles notorious for burrowing through weed-choked muck and underwater log jams. These kids are getting their money's worth!
UPDATE!
July 25th: Turtle's eye view: news report on footage from the maiden voyage of the CritterCam on a snapping turtle:
http://www.wfsb.com/video/16994116/index.html
Raw footage from the CritterCam mounted to "Jawless", the monster snapper from Wethersfield Cove, CT
http://www.wfsb.com/video/16991180/index.html
July 21st editorial: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-snapper.art.artjul21,0,4808734.story
July 15th 2008: We successfully deployed the CritterCam on a monster snapper weighing 39 pounds in Wethersfield Cove off the Connecticut River. The local media covered the event:
Hartford Courant story: http://www.courant.com/community/news/hfd/hc-crittercam0716.artjul16,0,6878119.story
Hartford Courant video: http://www.courant.com/video/?slug=hc-wn-snappingturtle
Hartford Courant photogallery: http://www.courant.com/community/news/hfd/hc-turtle-pg,0,4012910.photogallery
Channel 3 news video: http://www.wfsb.com/video/16893134/index.html
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http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/eebedia/index.php/Tobias_Landberg