Wood Turtle Surveys

NJDEP Fish & Wildlife staff monitor wood turtle populations throughout several focal areas of the state. Some of the most impactful threats wood turtles face include loss of upland habitat in riparian areas (where land meets water), road mortality and illegal collection. Fish & Wildlife staff work to address these threats through on-the-ground efforts and guidance from larger efforts like NJDEP’s Connecting Habitats Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project and Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation’s (PARC) Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles.
The wood turtle is a state-threatened species and is also considered a Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN). The regional designation is for species that members of the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee have identified as being of conservation concern and which have a significant portion of the population occurring in the northeastern states. Learn more about RSGCN species here: northeastwildlifediversity.org/
Connecting Habitats Across New Jersey: chanj.nj.gov
PARC Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles: parcplace.org/species/collabo...
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