Did you know that a Box Turtle from your neighborhood could have ended up in China? Our local turtles may be victims of illegal collection and trade, according to the DEEP. Who knew? As if they didn’t already have enough trouble with habitat destruction, road dangers, and the changing ecosystem! If you are younger than 40, you may have never even seen a Box Turtle. They are severely endangered, along with other once common local species. But there is something we can do. Start with DEEP’s turtle survey: ttps://www.research.net/r/WKZZDKQ.
I took the DEEP’s list of endangered, threatened, and “species of special concern”, trimmed it down to those found in eastern Connecticut and excluded some you’re unlikely to find even if you try. Please keep these outdoor neighbors in mind on your hikes this season. The Environmental Protection Dept. would like to know what you find. Insects I left out, but I hope we look for invasive insects too. Endangered plants? There are over 100 – you’re on your own there.
BIRDS: Barn Owl. Sharp-shinned Hawk (yes, they seem common). Red-headed Woodpecker (good luck, they were never settled here). Bald Eagle. Peregrine Falcon (doesn’t always nest on a cliff). Short-eared Owl (a daytime hunter in open spaces). Purple Martin (this open space-loving bird is now 100% dependent on human-built boxes).
MAMMALS: Least Shrew. New England Cottontail. Northern Long-eared Bat (you know all bats are scarce and the list may be updated at some point. Do you look to the sky at dusk?).
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS: Box Turtles. Wood Turtles (both are found in regular old woodlands and their edges). Spotted Turtles (you can still see some in ponds and marshes). Eastern Spadefoot Toad (not a Fowlers or American Toad, and always rare). Hog-nosed Snake (this amusingly threatening but harmless critter prefers the edges of fields and meadows). Ribbon Snake (yes, special concern but still around). DEEP has a “special animal survey form” which can be completed, scanned, and sent to the Wildlife Division. No on-line submission exists yet. One can complete the PDF and submit it to DEEP.Nddbrequest@ct.gov. I’ll be carrying a form in my pack from now on.
Many of the endangered species are so because Connecticut forests have filled in the farm fields, meadows, and brushy areas, and not just due to the daily loss of habitat to development. I’m no expert but my own special concern list would include Green Snakes and Worm Snakes, Bob-whites and Bobolinks, Ospreys, Scarlet Tanagers and Spotted Salamanders, Monarchs and Black Swallowtails, all the Bats. Each has a micro-niche they prefer within the general environment, which is why knowing location is so valuable. Celebrate May 20th, ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY worldwide, by taking a careful look out there!
George Jacobi