S H O R T S H O R T S • •
TURTLE COUNT
TWO conservation organizations are using volunteer paddlers in an effort to estimate the diamondback terrapin population within
the Masonboro Island Reserve. The sixth annual Terrapin Tally takes place the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May.
The North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve and N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission created
the count to gather data about the terrapin population in North Carolina and to observe trends.
MOTHER-WDAUGHTER BONDING ITH Mother’s Day quickly approaching, people are thinking of ways to strengthen that special bond that only a mother
and child can have. The local chapter of the National Charity League values the mother-daughter relationship not just
on this holiday, but on a daily basis.
The National Charity League is a non-profit
Moms and daughters on a cleanup day at Wrightsville Beach.
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WBM april may 2018
that encourages mothers and daughters to serve their
community by volunteering together. The Sea Turtle Chapter,
founded in Wilmington in August of 2016 by Liz Forkin and
Elizabeth White, does volunteer work for charities including
the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots. You can also catch them
cleaning up Wrightsville Beach in their signature pink T-shirts.
“We always volunteer as a mother and daughter, so they’re
doing it together,” Forkin says.
The group helps enforce the mother-daughter bond by
volunteering locally and hosting events such as the annual
mother-daughter tea—a time to get dressed up, relax, and
enjoy time together.
”It’s about strengthening the bond between mothers and
daughters through active community service,” says Jennifer
Dahl, publicity chair of the organization.
— Ashley Paige Edwards
“Terrapins see a number of threats,” says Sarah Finn,
a coastal wildlife diversity biologist with the Wildlife
Resources Commission. “Mainly, they’ve lost a lot of their
habitats due to construction. Other threats have to do with
being trapped inside crab pots, especially for the adult
males. Females are at risk of being hit by cars when they
cross causeways.”
Volunteer paddlers are required to attend a training ses-sion,
where they receive their day and route. They head
out from designated locations along the Masonboro Island
Reserve and Wrightsville Beach and log sightings with a
smartphone app.
Crab pots outnumbered terrapins in last year’s count,
which acted as a large research focus for the current tally.
— Gabriella Dionisio
Volunteer paddlers will help assess the health of the local Diamondback
terrapin population.
COURTESY OF SEA TURTLE CHAPTER
WBM FILE PHOTO