Don in SJ
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- May 20, 2005
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I wish I could say the rare turtle photo was taken on my property, I have hoped for years to find a Mulenberg (Bog) Turtle in my area, but I guess the habitat just is not right. I grew up in SE Pennsylvania and happened to be in an area that had a healthy population back in the 60's and 70's. I remember at one time seeing up to seven of these Mulenbergs in one day! There has been a lot of research going on in the Berks/Lancaster/Lebanon areas on where they are still located and I have helped direct a few researchers to sites that I remember having them long ago.
This one has a story behind it. My Dad used to be a Outdoor Educator at Nolde State Forest near Reading and he had permits to study the Mulenberg, but in the 80's they were getting rather hard to find anywhere for his study.
Well, we used to have family reunions and one year we went to a new picnic grove in Lancaster County and I was asking my Dad as we were walking along the perimeter of the picinc grounds, next to a low lying area that was full of cows in the swampy pasture, when I spotted this beautiful turtle, said to my Dad, "Ah, there is a Mulenberg Turtle ahead of us". Of course he did not believe me, since we were presently just talking about how scarce they have become and lo and behold there is one in front of us.
That is the last Mulenberg I have ever seen in the wild and it was my Dad's last one before he passed away. So if anybody lives in the SE part of Pa, keep your eyes open for this very small turtle, about same size of a spotted turtle and similar in appearance. I think if you spot one, maybe a phone call to the local Fish Warden might be appreciated. Not sure if Pa is like NJ but a turtle reported in a certain area here would stop any developer from ruining the habitat, so it is important to report sightings of rare species............
(Again, this is a digital photo taken of a old photo, so quality not up to snuff)
Don
This one has a story behind it. My Dad used to be a Outdoor Educator at Nolde State Forest near Reading and he had permits to study the Mulenberg, but in the 80's they were getting rather hard to find anywhere for his study.
Well, we used to have family reunions and one year we went to a new picnic grove in Lancaster County and I was asking my Dad as we were walking along the perimeter of the picinc grounds, next to a low lying area that was full of cows in the swampy pasture, when I spotted this beautiful turtle, said to my Dad, "Ah, there is a Mulenberg Turtle ahead of us". Of course he did not believe me, since we were presently just talking about how scarce they have become and lo and behold there is one in front of us.
That is the last Mulenberg I have ever seen in the wild and it was my Dad's last one before he passed away. So if anybody lives in the SE part of Pa, keep your eyes open for this very small turtle, about same size of a spotted turtle and similar in appearance. I think if you spot one, maybe a phone call to the local Fish Warden might be appreciated. Not sure if Pa is like NJ but a turtle reported in a certain area here would stop any developer from ruining the habitat, so it is important to report sightings of rare species............
(Again, this is a digital photo taken of a old photo, so quality not up to snuff)
Don
Are the spots red, is that a red ring around it's neck? I'd love to see one and report it! Thanks for the great information, Dad would be proud!
