Sweetwater Creek State Park Reintroduction and Management Plan
Georgia’s Sweetwater Creek state park is located in Lithia Springs, Georgia, just outside of the Atlanta perimeter. Though the park is commonly used to instruct visitors through their historic sites, ranging from colonial life to the nation’s first gold rush, it is often used for recreation and to observe the beauty of nature. Sweetwater Creek state park is capable of displaying these historic sites due to its history within Georgia. The area used to be inhabited by the Cherokee Indians, but as America grew into a Westward Expansion mindset and required more food and land for a growing population, the Cherokees were removed and a five story mill was constructed. The New Manchester Manufacturing Company, formerly known as The Sweetwater Manufacturing Company, made cotton, yarn and fabric, but as the American Civil War came to an end, Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign in 1864 took over the mill and burned it down. The state park was not only a place to go for humans, Eastern box turtles were also commonly found within the Sweetwater Creek, but as the area became taken over by humans and urbanized the box turtle population began to decline. Not only did building the mill decrease the Eastern box turtle population within the area due to its disruption of the natural landscape, but when it was burned, extreme stress was put on the environment from the rapidly spreading fire and most of the box turtles’ habitats were ruined. Other factors contributed to the decrease in box turtles within the area including a dam built to power the mill and Hurricane Dennis in 2005, which both caused major flooding within the park destroying even more of the land box turtles relied on. Currently the entire Sweetwater Creek box turtle population has been wiped out and can no longer be found in the area due to the land’s inability to support their population.
Due to the decline of box turtles from the Cherokee Indians, the mill, dam, Hurricane Dennis, and multiple other factors, it would be beneficial to reintroduce these box turtles to create a more diverse ecosystem within Sweetwater Creek. Reintroduction is the release of captive individuals into an area that they used to be apart of, but has been completely removed due to environmental restrictions, such as a loss of habitat. Since box turtles as a whole have a very keen sense of their home range and most of their lives are spent within a 200 meter area, it would be best for this process of reintroduction to utilize two methods: relocation of adult turtles and relocation of eggs. While hard to believe, box turtles have the ability to be reintroduced to a habitat as an adult. In 2002, Robert Cook, a biologist at the University of New York successfully introduced adult box turtles into an area that had been without the presence of box turtles for a century. 71% of the turtles introduced created a new home range, survived, and thrived. However, if less than 40% of the introduced turtles were able to find a new home range, egg relocation occurred. This process entails taking eggs from captive turtles and burying them in order to mimic a natural setting. The intention is that once the eggs hatch, the babies will be able to identify with this area as their new home range. Reintroduction of the species occurs in many steps. The first step includes finding turtles, typically from dangerous habitats, that will survive and thrive through the reintroduction process. This process of moving species to a different habitat is known as translocation. In deciding between male and female box turtles, we will have more females than males because we want the population and reproductive levels to be as high as possible and males tend to mate with more than one female. So, the more females present, the more reproductive our new population will be. In total we will collect 50 turtles, 30 females and 20 males. The second step of this process is called headstarting, in which the 50 turtles will be held in captivity for four weeks so that they may be thoroughly studied before released into the new habitat. This will be done to give the turtles a greater chance of survival by keeping the youth healthy, increasing the body size of the turtles, which both lead to a decrease in infant mortality. The third step of this process is to attach radio transmitters to each turtle so that it is ensured they are staying in the park, their movements are tracked, and behaviors within the new area are considered. In April, we will release the turtles in a 150 meter range so that they will have enough room to create a new home range. We will release in April because this is usually the time the box turtles are finished hibernating. The fourth step in this process is to gather 50 volunteers so that each turtle may be placed in their new habitat with no hazards surrounding them. It is best to release the turtles all at one time, so at 9:00 AM on the same day, our 50 volunteers will place a box turtle in areas within a 150 meter range with no potential hazards around. Once our turtles have been released, it is imperative that our group watches the turtles. Our group must measure reproductive success in order to determine whether or not Sweetwater Creek is a safe and proper environment for the turtles. We plan to monitor our turtles for 10 years in order to properly assess reproductive success and survival of the next generation. After 10 years, we will then be able to determine whether or not a home range was created in Sweetwater Creek.
In order to sustain and manage the box turtle’s population on this new site, we must evaluate the site’s ability to sustain a population to ensure the reintroduction of box turtles do not interrupt the current ecosystem. First, we must locate proper food sources such as worms, roots, and flowers. Then we must make sure that the habitat provided at this new site has proper necessities for a box turtle’s home range, most importantly a water source. In many places, not just Sweetwater Creek, the total box turtle population has been on a decline. One of the greatest causes of the decline in box turtle population is human-related changes in the landscape. In addition, the conversion of forest to agricultural land has had a strong effect on the decline of box turtles. Unfortunately, the Sweetwater Creek currently exhibits many of the factors leading to the decline of box turtles. Sweetwater Creek is constantly changing to update the area and make it more appealing to visitors, including new roads, trails, buildings and all around urbanization. All of these changes lead to box turtle habitat destruction. This destruction may not seem detrimental to our ecosystem, however, the less habitats in existence, the less diverse environment, which adds to the park's natural beauty. Therefore, a management plan has become necessary in order to raise greater awareness in the community of the decline of box turtle habitats and to ensure an increase in the box turtle population in the future. This management plan consists of solutions to habitat destruction, dangers with nesting, dangers with the removal of box turtles in order to have them as a pet, burning or burying of debris piles, the danger of crossing roads, and finally the danger of lawn mowers.
Habitat Destruction
Habitat destruction is a very serious problem for box turtles. Not only does it deprive the box turtles of basic necessities for survival, but it deprives box turtles of living space. Much of this habitat destruction occurs when rural or forested areas are cut down to be transformed into buildings or roadways. This occurred in Sweetwater Creek multiple times including the construction of the 9,000 square feet Visitor Center in 2006, which though built with a sustainable design, still eliminated many of the turtles' habitats. In addition, habitat destruction occurs when trees are brought down or burned. A solution to this destruction of habitats is not only informing Sweetwater Creek authorities of the effect development has on the habitats of box turtles, but also how to fix it and the important of emphasis on maintaing the entire ecosystem not just the box turtles. The focus on the entire ecosystem, known as ecosystem management, is critical because all species rely on another and a change in any species population will effect the box turtles. Authorities also need to be informed that if further development is implemented or else the box turtle population has the potential to be eliminated again, and to avoid this the best method would be to increase the height of buildings within the park not increasing width. This conserves the already minimal habitat within the park.
Nesting (Reproductive success)
Mother box turtles need loose, well-drained but moist, sandy or loamy soil in direct sunlight in order to properly nest their eggs. Box turtles dig nests in the ground and bury their eggs. Most box turtle eggs and hatchlings do not make it, and humans, as well as many predators, such as coyotes, raccoons, and skunks, take a serious toll on their numbers. Reproductive success is crucial for the reintroduction to be a success and the box turtle population can continue to thrive within the park. People, not only on the Sweetwater Creek state park, but in general should be cautious of where they step when out in the wilderness. Humans have an unintentional tendency to step on turtles and an even bigger tendency to step on turtle eggs. Sweetwater authorities need to broadcast that people should be more cautious as they run the trails or explore the historic sites. Also during the Spring when rates of nesting are high, Sweetwater creek can ensure protection against predation by adding more resources and food for the box turtles closer to their nesting sites, so the box turtles do not have to travel far to get food for the youth.
Removal by people wanting pets
Often times, box turtles are removed from their habitat and taken home as a pet. Box turtles often die in people’s homes due to people’s lack of knowledge that box turtles are omnivores. In order to successfully take care of a box turtle as a pet, one must have knowledge of the turtle’s previous habitat and its food sources, such as earthworms, snails, grubs, beetles, caterpillars, and grasses. Sweetwater Creek should make it known to visitors and staff that if they come across a box turtle they should not mess with them, unless they are put in danger. A way to draw attention to this issue is to put up signs are the park that say, "Do not touch/feed the turtles", which can be found in many other parks and zoos for various animals. This is essential because often times people think it is ok to keep box turtles since they are common pets and can be easily bought in a pet store. There are always people who do not listen to signs so an even greater way to ensure the protection of the turtles and even provide the park with money is to create a fine for anyone who is caught violating the park rules and taking the box turtle.
Burning or burying in debris piles
Box turtles have a tendency to bury themselves under leaves or other forms of debris, especially when it begins to get colder, because when they nestle in piles of leaves that are often burned and destroyed it provides warmth and protection. Often times, debris is intentionally burned to sustain the environment. However, people are not conscientious enough to actually be aware of what exactly they are burning. Although the humidity within Sweetwater Creek decreases the amount of forest fires, decrease is still present from many factors, such as the leaves falling. People need to check to make sure what they are burning is not something that benefits the environment and will cause the environment to be less diverse if the species is wiped out. It would be best to hire staff to manage the amount of debris present within the park, making sure there is some present, but not too much. This will not only add to the safety of box turtles and other species, but also another way to add to the natural beauty within the Sweetwater Creek state park.
Crossing Roads
Often times, humans are the box turtle’s number one predator. Fragmentation has forced turtles to commute across roads, putting them in heavy danger. Box turtles are small and at times hard to see, so it is not uncommon to not see box turtles crossing the roads. Eliminating box turtles being hit by cars while crossing roads is an incredibly hard problem to solve. Really, the only way for it to be solved is to educate visitors and the staff on the presence of box turtles crossing roads during the day, but especially at night. In addition, Sweetwater Creek could implement a better light system so that people may be able to identify turtles in the night a little easier and avoid stepping on them or running them over whether with their feet, bikes, or cars.
Lawn Mowers
Mowing machines are known for killing and maiming countless box turtles every year. The incident of killing a box turtle with a lawn mower occurs when green spaces and ungrazed fields are allowed to grow back uncontrollably and mowed only occasionally. When this happens, box turtles are unintentionally killed. A solution to this problem includes setting up the reintroduced box turtles' habitats farther from the main running trails within the Sweetwater Creek park. While the box turtles habitat are set up away from the trails, farther out from the trails grass, called No-Mow grass, can be grown that does not need to be mowed often. It is made up of 50% bent grass and 50% short alpine fescue. This grass grows so slow it only needs to be mowed once a month and even works in poor soil. This will decline the amount of turtles injured or killed by lawn mowers, while also keeping the park's natural beauty. Another way is to add attention to the turtles, such as caution signs, keeping the staff and visitors more informed. Last, since box turtles tend to be more active in the early morning/dusk and on rainy days, lawns will be avoided for mowing until later in the day and will not be mowed when it is raining, so the animals can stay hidden and out of the mowing area near the trails.
The end goal of the reintroduction of box turtles is not only to successfully reintroduce box turtles to a new habitat that is self-sufficient, but also to measure and follow the health patterns of the reintroduced turtles. Success is not based solely off of whether or not the turtles survive in their reintroduced habitat. Success is based off of the turtles’ overall health and living conditions in the new habitat. Because of box turtles’ long life span, it will be difficult and will take some time to determine whether or not the reintroduced population will be able to successfully reproduce and ensure that a population of box turtles will be able to survive in this ecosystem for future generations. In order to measure this success, reproductive levels should be measured and the life-span of the reintroduced species should be recorded. This will determine the overall success of the reintroduction of box turtles. To ensure a healthy box turtle and avoid another extinction of the population within Sweetwater Creek a lot of emphasis will be put into the tracking of the box turtles and head-start program when originally reintroduced, as well as a more educated human population on the species within the environment when visiting or dealing with the park to avoid the harm put on the box turtles' habitat that occurred in the past. Also due to the fact that the box turtles have inhabited the area in the past, we hope and strongly believe that the box turtles will be able to sustain themselves and thrive within Sweetwater Creek park having positive impacts within the ecosystem and adding to its natural beauty.
Maintaining a proper habitat for box turtles at Lovett should be a major concern before developing any additional land. The box turtle can be seen as a keystone species, meaning that it has an impact on the rest of the ecosystem at Lovett. If box turtle habitats at Lovett continue to be destroyed it will eventually push them out of the ecosystem all together. If we were to lose the box turtle population at Lovett, many more ecological repercussions would follow. Lovett prides itself on being a sustainable school because of its green, LEED-certified buildings. While this is great, we also need to focus on the impact those giant buildings are having on the local ecosystem. Additionally, studying box turtles allows for the Lovett students to gain a deeper understanding on the lesser known species living around us. During the study, the students become more aware of potential ways they might be negatively affecting some population. This study extends far beyond box turtles in terms of preservation and awareness. By keeping the box turtle study a part of Lovett’s AP Environmental Science curriculum, you are not only preserving an important species in Lovett’s ecosystem, but also providing an in-depth, hands on learning experience for the students.
Due to the decline of box turtles from the Cherokee Indians, the mill, dam, Hurricane Dennis, and multiple other factors, it would be beneficial to reintroduce these box turtles to create a more diverse ecosystem within Sweetwater Creek. Reintroduction is the release of captive individuals into an area that they used to be apart of, but has been completely removed due to environmental restrictions, such as a loss of habitat. Since box turtles as a whole have a very keen sense of their home range and most of their lives are spent within a 200 meter area, it would be best for this process of reintroduction to utilize two methods: relocation of adult turtles and relocation of eggs. While hard to believe, box turtles have the ability to be reintroduced to a habitat as an adult. In 2002, Robert Cook, a biologist at the University of New York successfully introduced adult box turtles into an area that had been without the presence of box turtles for a century. 71% of the turtles introduced created a new home range, survived, and thrived. However, if less than 40% of the introduced turtles were able to find a new home range, egg relocation occurred. This process entails taking eggs from captive turtles and burying them in order to mimic a natural setting. The intention is that once the eggs hatch, the babies will be able to identify with this area as their new home range. Reintroduction of the species occurs in many steps. The first step includes finding turtles, typically from dangerous habitats, that will survive and thrive through the reintroduction process. This process of moving species to a different habitat is known as translocation. In deciding between male and female box turtles, we will have more females than males because we want the population and reproductive levels to be as high as possible and males tend to mate with more than one female. So, the more females present, the more reproductive our new population will be. In total we will collect 50 turtles, 30 females and 20 males. The second step of this process is called headstarting, in which the 50 turtles will be held in captivity for four weeks so that they may be thoroughly studied before released into the new habitat. This will be done to give the turtles a greater chance of survival by keeping the youth healthy, increasing the body size of the turtles, which both lead to a decrease in infant mortality. The third step of this process is to attach radio transmitters to each turtle so that it is ensured they are staying in the park, their movements are tracked, and behaviors within the new area are considered. In April, we will release the turtles in a 150 meter range so that they will have enough room to create a new home range. We will release in April because this is usually the time the box turtles are finished hibernating. The fourth step in this process is to gather 50 volunteers so that each turtle may be placed in their new habitat with no hazards surrounding them. It is best to release the turtles all at one time, so at 9:00 AM on the same day, our 50 volunteers will place a box turtle in areas within a 150 meter range with no potential hazards around. Once our turtles have been released, it is imperative that our group watches the turtles. Our group must measure reproductive success in order to determine whether or not Sweetwater Creek is a safe and proper environment for the turtles. We plan to monitor our turtles for 10 years in order to properly assess reproductive success and survival of the next generation. After 10 years, we will then be able to determine whether or not a home range was created in Sweetwater Creek.
In order to sustain and manage the box turtle’s population on this new site, we must evaluate the site’s ability to sustain a population to ensure the reintroduction of box turtles do not interrupt the current ecosystem. First, we must locate proper food sources such as worms, roots, and flowers. Then we must make sure that the habitat provided at this new site has proper necessities for a box turtle’s home range, most importantly a water source. In many places, not just Sweetwater Creek, the total box turtle population has been on a decline. One of the greatest causes of the decline in box turtle population is human-related changes in the landscape. In addition, the conversion of forest to agricultural land has had a strong effect on the decline of box turtles. Unfortunately, the Sweetwater Creek currently exhibits many of the factors leading to the decline of box turtles. Sweetwater Creek is constantly changing to update the area and make it more appealing to visitors, including new roads, trails, buildings and all around urbanization. All of these changes lead to box turtle habitat destruction. This destruction may not seem detrimental to our ecosystem, however, the less habitats in existence, the less diverse environment, which adds to the park's natural beauty. Therefore, a management plan has become necessary in order to raise greater awareness in the community of the decline of box turtle habitats and to ensure an increase in the box turtle population in the future. This management plan consists of solutions to habitat destruction, dangers with nesting, dangers with the removal of box turtles in order to have them as a pet, burning or burying of debris piles, the danger of crossing roads, and finally the danger of lawn mowers.
Habitat Destruction
Habitat destruction is a very serious problem for box turtles. Not only does it deprive the box turtles of basic necessities for survival, but it deprives box turtles of living space. Much of this habitat destruction occurs when rural or forested areas are cut down to be transformed into buildings or roadways. This occurred in Sweetwater Creek multiple times including the construction of the 9,000 square feet Visitor Center in 2006, which though built with a sustainable design, still eliminated many of the turtles' habitats. In addition, habitat destruction occurs when trees are brought down or burned. A solution to this destruction of habitats is not only informing Sweetwater Creek authorities of the effect development has on the habitats of box turtles, but also how to fix it and the important of emphasis on maintaing the entire ecosystem not just the box turtles. The focus on the entire ecosystem, known as ecosystem management, is critical because all species rely on another and a change in any species population will effect the box turtles. Authorities also need to be informed that if further development is implemented or else the box turtle population has the potential to be eliminated again, and to avoid this the best method would be to increase the height of buildings within the park not increasing width. This conserves the already minimal habitat within the park.
Nesting (Reproductive success)
Mother box turtles need loose, well-drained but moist, sandy or loamy soil in direct sunlight in order to properly nest their eggs. Box turtles dig nests in the ground and bury their eggs. Most box turtle eggs and hatchlings do not make it, and humans, as well as many predators, such as coyotes, raccoons, and skunks, take a serious toll on their numbers. Reproductive success is crucial for the reintroduction to be a success and the box turtle population can continue to thrive within the park. People, not only on the Sweetwater Creek state park, but in general should be cautious of where they step when out in the wilderness. Humans have an unintentional tendency to step on turtles and an even bigger tendency to step on turtle eggs. Sweetwater authorities need to broadcast that people should be more cautious as they run the trails or explore the historic sites. Also during the Spring when rates of nesting are high, Sweetwater creek can ensure protection against predation by adding more resources and food for the box turtles closer to their nesting sites, so the box turtles do not have to travel far to get food for the youth.
Removal by people wanting pets
Often times, box turtles are removed from their habitat and taken home as a pet. Box turtles often die in people’s homes due to people’s lack of knowledge that box turtles are omnivores. In order to successfully take care of a box turtle as a pet, one must have knowledge of the turtle’s previous habitat and its food sources, such as earthworms, snails, grubs, beetles, caterpillars, and grasses. Sweetwater Creek should make it known to visitors and staff that if they come across a box turtle they should not mess with them, unless they are put in danger. A way to draw attention to this issue is to put up signs are the park that say, "Do not touch/feed the turtles", which can be found in many other parks and zoos for various animals. This is essential because often times people think it is ok to keep box turtles since they are common pets and can be easily bought in a pet store. There are always people who do not listen to signs so an even greater way to ensure the protection of the turtles and even provide the park with money is to create a fine for anyone who is caught violating the park rules and taking the box turtle.
Burning or burying in debris piles
Box turtles have a tendency to bury themselves under leaves or other forms of debris, especially when it begins to get colder, because when they nestle in piles of leaves that are often burned and destroyed it provides warmth and protection. Often times, debris is intentionally burned to sustain the environment. However, people are not conscientious enough to actually be aware of what exactly they are burning. Although the humidity within Sweetwater Creek decreases the amount of forest fires, decrease is still present from many factors, such as the leaves falling. People need to check to make sure what they are burning is not something that benefits the environment and will cause the environment to be less diverse if the species is wiped out. It would be best to hire staff to manage the amount of debris present within the park, making sure there is some present, but not too much. This will not only add to the safety of box turtles and other species, but also another way to add to the natural beauty within the Sweetwater Creek state park.
Crossing Roads
Often times, humans are the box turtle’s number one predator. Fragmentation has forced turtles to commute across roads, putting them in heavy danger. Box turtles are small and at times hard to see, so it is not uncommon to not see box turtles crossing the roads. Eliminating box turtles being hit by cars while crossing roads is an incredibly hard problem to solve. Really, the only way for it to be solved is to educate visitors and the staff on the presence of box turtles crossing roads during the day, but especially at night. In addition, Sweetwater Creek could implement a better light system so that people may be able to identify turtles in the night a little easier and avoid stepping on them or running them over whether with their feet, bikes, or cars.
Lawn Mowers
Mowing machines are known for killing and maiming countless box turtles every year. The incident of killing a box turtle with a lawn mower occurs when green spaces and ungrazed fields are allowed to grow back uncontrollably and mowed only occasionally. When this happens, box turtles are unintentionally killed. A solution to this problem includes setting up the reintroduced box turtles' habitats farther from the main running trails within the Sweetwater Creek park. While the box turtles habitat are set up away from the trails, farther out from the trails grass, called No-Mow grass, can be grown that does not need to be mowed often. It is made up of 50% bent grass and 50% short alpine fescue. This grass grows so slow it only needs to be mowed once a month and even works in poor soil. This will decline the amount of turtles injured or killed by lawn mowers, while also keeping the park's natural beauty. Another way is to add attention to the turtles, such as caution signs, keeping the staff and visitors more informed. Last, since box turtles tend to be more active in the early morning/dusk and on rainy days, lawns will be avoided for mowing until later in the day and will not be mowed when it is raining, so the animals can stay hidden and out of the mowing area near the trails.
The end goal of the reintroduction of box turtles is not only to successfully reintroduce box turtles to a new habitat that is self-sufficient, but also to measure and follow the health patterns of the reintroduced turtles. Success is not based solely off of whether or not the turtles survive in their reintroduced habitat. Success is based off of the turtles’ overall health and living conditions in the new habitat. Because of box turtles’ long life span, it will be difficult and will take some time to determine whether or not the reintroduced population will be able to successfully reproduce and ensure that a population of box turtles will be able to survive in this ecosystem for future generations. In order to measure this success, reproductive levels should be measured and the life-span of the reintroduced species should be recorded. This will determine the overall success of the reintroduction of box turtles. To ensure a healthy box turtle and avoid another extinction of the population within Sweetwater Creek a lot of emphasis will be put into the tracking of the box turtles and head-start program when originally reintroduced, as well as a more educated human population on the species within the environment when visiting or dealing with the park to avoid the harm put on the box turtles' habitat that occurred in the past. Also due to the fact that the box turtles have inhabited the area in the past, we hope and strongly believe that the box turtles will be able to sustain themselves and thrive within Sweetwater Creek park having positive impacts within the ecosystem and adding to its natural beauty.
Maintaining a proper habitat for box turtles at Lovett should be a major concern before developing any additional land. The box turtle can be seen as a keystone species, meaning that it has an impact on the rest of the ecosystem at Lovett. If box turtle habitats at Lovett continue to be destroyed it will eventually push them out of the ecosystem all together. If we were to lose the box turtle population at Lovett, many more ecological repercussions would follow. Lovett prides itself on being a sustainable school because of its green, LEED-certified buildings. While this is great, we also need to focus on the impact those giant buildings are having on the local ecosystem. Additionally, studying box turtles allows for the Lovett students to gain a deeper understanding on the lesser known species living around us. During the study, the students become more aware of potential ways they might be negatively affecting some population. This study extends far beyond box turtles in terms of preservation and awareness. By keeping the box turtle study a part of Lovett’s AP Environmental Science curriculum, you are not only preserving an important species in Lovett’s ecosystem, but also providing an in-depth, hands on learning experience for the students.