Schools as Conservation Partners: Lessons Learned from over a Decade of Headstarting Turtles

Emilie R. Wilder^1,*, Cara L. McElroy¹, Matthew D. Kamm¹, John Berkholtz¹, and Bryan Windmiller¹

¹Zoo New England, Boston, MA 02121. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Special Issue 12 (2024): E43–E58

First published early online: 30 May 2024

Abstract
Headstarting is an increasingly common tool used by conservationists, especially with herpetofauna. However, attaining meaningful conservation results often entails headstarting large numbers of animals over many years, a significant investment of time, resources, and space. In order to share the burden of the work, and also enable community engagement in the project, we partner with local schools to raise the turtles in classrooms. Headstarting in schools also allows us to expose participating school children to local conservation concerns and give them an opportunity to make a difference in their communities. At the same time, a decentralized headstarting structure can present challenges, such as ensuring that protocols and standards are maintained, communicating with a large group of caretakers, and monitoring the health and growth of animals in different locations. Based on 14 year’s experience in overseeing the raising of nearly 1000 hatchling Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding’s Turtle) and Glyptemys insculpta (Wood Turtle) in classrooms, we present our key lessons learned and best practices for other organizations who may be contemplating similar collaborations with local schools.

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