Come and meet Southern Oregon’s only native turtle, the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata)! This species has been proposed for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act and is considered a “Species of Concern” due to habitat loss, diseases and invasive species, but conservation work is currently underway to help these turtles. 

On Friday, September 6, Dr. Michael Parker, professor of biology at Southern Oregon University, will share his knowledge about the western pond turtle’s natural history and its conservation with us. This talk will take place at the Geos Institute in Ashland, Oregon. Come and enjoy the talk, even if you are not going on the Saturday field trip. On Saturday, September 7, you have an opportunity to take part in the conservation efforts! Join Dr. Parker on a trip up to Willow-Witt Ranch, a privately owned operating ranch and ecological restoration site located within the boundaries of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. At the pond on the ranch, we will meet these animals in-person and collect data for an ongoing western pond turtle population monitoring project. 

We will be meeting at 8:30 am in the Rite Aid parking lot (corner of Ashland Street and Tolman Creek Road). Park at the east end, near the Rodeway Inn. From there we will carpool to the monument.