Belize sits on the cusp of protecting the key piece of the largest rainforest preserve north of the Amazon. In April 2021, the Nature Conservancy and a consortium of conservation organizations purchased 368.75 mi2 in northwestern extent of the country, which is now the Belize Maya Forest. This area connects protected areas in Belize and […]
May 20, 2021
Yamhill County property owners are being asked to help search for a rare Pacific Northwest native reptile: the northwestern pond turtle, also known as the western pond turtle. Funded in part by a grant from the Oregon Zoo Foundation, the Northwest Ecological Research Institute survey is seeking Yamhill County properties with streams, ponds or wetlands that might harbor the small turtles.
Yamhill County has the fewest documented reports of turtles in the Lower Willamette watershed, impeding conservation of this species in this area of its range. Using a combination of visual encounter surveys and hands-on trapping, biologist Laura Guderyahn will lead a team of community volunteers to map where turtles live.