Conservation in Coastal Georgia

Georgia is home to a wide range of ecological habitats. From the temperate forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the salt marshes of the coastal plains, our state provides endless opportunities to explore the natural world. Each eco-region is home to its own wondrous diversity of wildlife, from one of the smallest turtles in the world to the largest non-venomous snake in North America. In our next blog, you’ll hear about some of my teammates’ adventures along Georgia’s Atlantic coast helping another uncommon species that live in our beautiful state – the diamondback terrapin. 

Diamondback terrapins live in coastal areas all the way from Texas to Massachusetts, including Georgia’s barrier islands. They are the only turtle species known to live in the brackish waters of transitional areas where freshwater flows into saltwater. You can see a replication of their natural habitat in Scaly Slimy Spectacular. Here, you can also see the terrapins that are temporarily living at the Zoo. 

Diamondback terrapins spend most of their lives in the water, but females seek out high and dry land to lay their eggs. The problem is that in coastal areas, high and dry land is also the ideal place to build roads. To make matters worse, terrapin breeding season lasts from about April to July – the same months that many Americans take to the road to travel to the beach for summer vacations. Along Georgia’s coast, hundreds of terrapins are injured or killed each year just along the six-mile Jekyll Island Causeway. 

Along this Causeway, there are flashing lights and caution signs warning motorists to look out for terrapins from April through July. There are also barriers along some stretches of the road. These mitigation measures are part of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s Jekyll Island Causeway Conservation Program. Other measures motorists may not always see are protected nest boxes, vehicular patrols, and rescue and rehabilitation efforts. 

Since 2007, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center has saved nearly 5,000 terrapins along the Causeway. Many of those were struck by vehicles while looking for a place to nest. When the Georgia Sea Turtle Center encounters an injured female carrying eggs, they induce her to lay the eggs before releasing her back into the salt marsh. They are even sometimes able to rescue eggs from deceased females. All of these eggs are artificially incubated and closely monitored until they hatch. 

Most of these young hatchlings live at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for about a year, but some of them come to spend some time with us at Zoo Atlanta as part of our support for the project. During the year, these hatchlings live in human care, they grow from about the size of a quarter to larger than the average adult’s hand. This gives them a much better chance of avoiding predators when they are released into the salt marches surrounding Jekyll Island. 

Stay tuned for our next blog, when you will hear from some of my teammates who had the chance to participate in this year’s release. In the meantime, if you do any traveling through Georgia, be sure to look out for wildlife along the way. While we might be out of terrapin nesting season, each eco-region is home to diverse wildlife that is active throughout the year. 

Sarah Hamilton
Interpretive Engagement Specialist