The Brodhead Watershed Association will host a Talking Turtles Program February 15 at the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe County as part of its Get Outdoors Poconos series.

Now, in deep winter, all is quiet at Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Stroudsburg, or so it seems.

These 6,000 acres under the protection of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service host an unusually large number of mammals, birds and other wildlife listed as “Federal trust species” — including five threatened or endangered species.

Find out more about one of the critters who depend on this complex system of habitats and the people who care for it.

The star of the show is the bog turtle, a Pocono native. Maxing out at barely 4 inches long, bog turtles are the smallest turtles in North America. And the cutest. They eat just about anything that fits in their mouths, and most spend their whole lives in the wetland where they were born.

Even in summer, they spend much of their time buried in mud, able to survive without oxygen for long periods. Now through mid-April, they are hibernating in small groups. In spring, they will come blinking to the surface, ready to bask in the sun and look for a mate.

Females lay clutches of just three or four tiny eggs. Eggs and hatchlings are prey for birds and mammals, but if a young turtle survives, it may live 50 years. In all of North America, there may be as few as 2,500 bog turtles alive today, their numbers slashed by disappearing habitat.

The program will be held at the refuge headquarters, 2138 Croasdale Road in Stroudsburg from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Registration is not required for this free program, but appreciated. Call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727 or send email to: info@brodheadwatershed.org to register.

The Get Outdoors Poconos series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Brodhead Watershed Association website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Association.  Click Here to become a member.

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[Posted: January 27, 2020]

2/3/2020