A 20‐Yr Study Documenting the Relationship Between Turtle Decline and Human Recreation

Abstract

This study documents the detrimental effects of human recreation on the North American wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in Connecticut. We chronicled the dynamics of two allopatric wood turtle populations in a protected southern New England wildlife reserve for 20 yr (1974‐1993). Both wood turtle populations were reproductively isolated from one another, physically separated ≈100 yr ago when a 1.5 km long human‐made pond was constructed. We conducted a mark‐and‐recapture study on a 1000‐ha section of a protected watershed in south‐central Connecticut (New Haven County). During this study we monitored 133 different wood turtles, observing them a total of 1176 times. Human and wood turtle demographics were recorded throughout this period. The data support the following conclusions: (1) following a period of apparent stability, two populations of wood turtles declined; (2) the declines were more or less synchronous in both populations; (3) the beginning of each decline corresponded to the opening of the habitat for recreation; (4) an increase in mean turtle age suggests a failure of recruitment; however, (5) a simultaneous reduction in numbers of adult females suggests that the failure of recruitment alone is not sufficient to explain the declines. Throughout our study the size of the forest remained the same, road building was restricted, and the quality of the air and water were constant. The wood turtle populations remained stable when people were denied access to the property. When this area was opened to human recreation (hiking, fishing) the two discrete wood turtle populations declined steadily; the total number of turtles in both populations declined by 100% in 10 yr. As wilderness areas become mixed‐use recreation areas, wood turtle populations may suffer. We conclude that without proper management, the increasing recreational use of parks, reservoirs, and wildlife reserves will adversely affect the long‐term survival of the North American wood turtle.