Diamondback terrapins are on the move – and that means drivers need to slow
down!Female terrapins are crossing Landings Way near Sunset Park as they head inland to lay their eggs. Residents are urged to drive with great caution in that area.
Beginning in late April and continuing through early August, mama terrapins will come out of the western marsh and cross Landings Way to lay their eggs in the bunkers at Terrapin Point, in the median, or even in backyards. Skidaway Audubon’s Diamondback Terrapin Rescue Project volunteers retrieve the eggs and incubate them in protected hatcheries, shielding them from crows, raccoons, and other predators, to help revive the species.
“The loss of just one reproducing female means generations of hatchlings will be lost,” said Skidaway Audubon President Dawn Cordo. “We truly hope residents will be on the lookout for the mama turtles and drive cautiously near Sunset Park, and call us (404-550-0118) if they spot a terrapin.”
The Skidaway Audubon project, conducted under a GA Department of Natural Resources permit, has become an exemplary initiative and has received several awards. Thousands of hatchings have been successfully hatched, and hundreds of Landings residents have thoroughly enjoyed releasing the adorable little hatchlings into the marsh in late summer and early fall. For more information, visit SkidawayAudubon.org.
