On Wednesday, January 14, 2015, Wild Winter Wednesday at Windmill Cultural Center will present “Tracking Turtles” with Wildlife Biologist Jeramie Strickland, pictured below holdiing an Ornate Box Turtle specimen.
Wild Winter Wednesday mornings begin at 9:00 a.m. with beverages and snacks before programs begin at 9:15. The facility is easily accessible and located at 111 10th Avenue, Fulton, IL.
Have you ever wondered what the towers are for in the Sand Prairie south of Thomson, IL? The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) uses these towers to track and manage the population of Ornate Box Turtles, Terrapene ornata. The DNR tracks turtles yearly; the towers help collect data pertaining to turtle population and movement.
Eco systems and turtles are carefully monitored by DNR representatives stationed at the Engersol Center north of Thomson. Gathered is information on nesting biology, conservation, habitat use, and population recovery in our own backyard.
The program will be presented by Jeramie Strickland, a Wildlife Biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. He is actively engaged in managing the Ornate Box Turtle head start, nesting biology, conservation, habitat use, and population recovery project with the FWS.
Wild Winter Wednesday programs are funded by FACE.
