Blanding's Turtle Project - Brainerd Bypass

Element occurrence records and previous studies at Camp Ripley document the occurrence of Blanding's turtles in the Brainerd/Baxter area. Protecting the species requires the protection of habitats critical to their conservation, as well as an understanding of the ways that Blanding's turtles use wetlands and uplands. This report summarizes research into the occurrence and habits of Blanding's turtles.

During the project, researchers captured and marked 60 Blanding's turtles: 37 females, 12 males, and 11 juveniles. None of the turtles were found in the immediate area of the bypass, and no monitored turtles moved in or out of the bypass area. Researchers identified four areas in the Brainerd/Baxter area where turtles appeared to be concentrated.

Monitored turtles used an array of aquatic habitats including inland shallow fresh marshes (type 3), inland deep fresh marshes (type 4), inland open fresh water (type 5) and shrub swamps (type 6). These wetlands ranged in size from 1.5 ha to 111 ha. Although there was considerable diversity on wetland features, the majority of turtles spent 90 percent of their days in shrub swamps. Researchers located a total of 11 nests during the 1998 field season. They found reproductive females in upland habitats from May 19 to June 18. Clutch sizes for the turtles ranged from eight to 20 eggs with a mean clutch size of 15.8 (n = 11).

On the basis of current surveys, Blanding's turtles appear to be distributed throughout the Brainerd/Baxter townships. Researchers developed recommendations to help ensure the future viability and preservation of Blanding's turtle populations in the Brainerd/Baxter area.

As a staff paper, this publication is intended for internal use by the Minnesota Department of Transportation
(Mn/DOT). Distribution is limited.