$80,000 to research mystery of 40 dead Blanding’s turtles

Friends of Misery Bay (FOMB) will be receiving funding through the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) 2014-2015 Species at Risk Stewardship Fund to investigate the death of 50 of the park’s turtles, including the endangered Blanding’s turtle, that were discovered last spring.

“We (the FOMB) applied for the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund and recently learned that our application was successful,” FOMB board chair John Diebolt told The Expositor on Monday. “We are very happy that we are able to get the funding.”

FOMB vice board chair Gaynor Orford explained that the funding was applied for in conjunction with Laurentian University, which will be conducting the study.

“The study will investigate the cause, timing and extent of an acute turtle mortality at Misery Bay Provincial Park,” further explained MNR senior media relations officer Jolanta Kowalski. “This will be done by continuing Species At Risk turtle surveys both inside the park (mark, recapture and telemetry of living turtles and mortality surveys) and outside the park (ie mortality and living turtle surveys in adjoining and nearby protected areas with similar habitat).”

Robin Burridge
Manitoulin Expositor
Read More Here: www.manitoulin.ca/misery-bay-advocacy-groups-research-into-turtle-dieoff-receives-funding/