Western Sydney University Associate Professor Ricky Spencer and one of his river turtle friends. (Courtesy of The Nepean Science Hub)
Story by Gabiann Marin
November is turtle nesting season and this month hundreds of these popular reptiles will be travelling to nesting sites across the Blue Mountains. Thanks to Springwood resident, Associate Professor Ricky Spencer and the innovative citizen science project 1 Million Turtles, there is a lot everyone can do to make sure our local turtle populations are protected and healthy.
Ricky Spencer loves turtles, so much so that he has devoted his life to studying and protecting them. Ricky started out studying zoology as an undergraduate and soon discovered his passion for reptiles in general, and turtles in particular.
“I have been doing research on freshwater turtles since 1995 or 1996,” he reveals, explaining that over the time of his research the fortunes of Australian turtles have been declining. “Particularly in the Murray we are seeing a lot of dead turtles. In the last drought the river became so hyper saline. All these turtles were dying and were infested with marine tube worms.”
Key Points
- Healthy waterways are imperative for everyone, including turtles, so making sure you don’t hose off pesticides or chemicals into stormwater drains is a simple way to protect all aquatic species in our local river systems.
- Ricky Spencer created TurtleSAT: the first fully integrated citizen science app to focus on monitoring turtles.
- The goal of I Million Turtles is to increase turtle populations by 1 million through simple acts of monitoring and preventative conservation. It is designed to help the community monitor turtle nests, rescue adult turtles from roads and actively protect nesting sites from predators.
Share this article:
Being reliant on freshwater, an increase of salt and seawater can have truly detrimental effects on the endemic river turtle populations. The health of our waterways is a great indication of the health of our world in general and protecting them, and the creatures who dwell within, is a key part of creating liveable ecosystems for everyone.
“Turtles are the vacuum cleaners of the waterway,” Ricky explains. “Anything that dies in the water, like large fish kills, the turtles eat it and keep the water fresh and clean.” Without them, Ricky is quick to point out, our waterways would quickly deteriorate, yet it also makes them very vulnerable to changes in water quality, salination or water pollution. They are also at risk from predation by feral animals and loss of habit through damming, construction and natural disasters.
The good news is that Ricky’s love of these little aquatic creatures is shared across Australia.
The now not-so-common snake-necked turtle. (Ricky Spencer)
“Every time I do some work [in river systems], everyone wants to come and talk turtles,” Ricky says smiling. “People want to be involved.”
It was through these conversations with everyday people that Ricky first realised there was a need for information about how to help and protect turtles. In 2014 he had a Eureka moment and created an app, which in 2023 helped him and his team win an actual Australian Eureka award for Innovation in Citizen Science.
“I kind of had this idea on a trip down to the Murray River. I was going from community to community, government agency to government agency, talking turtles and seeing the declines [in turtle numbers]” Ricky recalls. He realised if they could log all this information into one centralised source, they would have a great map of turtle activity across the region. Quickly acting on this insight, Ricky created the TurtleSAT App as he sat in the car. “It was just a prototype initially, just to show people.”
This small innovation has now expanded into a fully realised real time satellite-based turtle location app, which anyone can use to record or discover information about their local freshwater turtle populations. The benefit of this app is not just that it increases awareness and knowledge about turtle habitats and movements in real time, but it can also be used by ecologists, scientists and conservationists to help pinpoint key potential trouble spots where turtles may need a bit more help in the future.
The TurtleSAT app was developed by Ricky Spencer in the back of a car in 2014.
TurtleSAT was the first fully integrated citizen science app to focus on turtles, and was based on similar apps already available, like FeralScan. FeralScan was launched in 2011 as part of a government initiative to monitor the numbers and locations of feral animals such as cats, deer, foxes and rabbits.
Monitoring turtle numbers is incredibly important, but as Ricky continued his ecological work, he realised that there was much more that could be done by ordinary people in helping to protect and preserve freshwater turtles.
1 Million Turtles was conceived by Ricky off the back of the TurtleSAT app, and developed by a team across Western Sydney University, La Trobe University and University of New England. “It’s not just about people recording where they see them, it’s a citizen science program to get people to actually do the conservation,” Ricky explains.
Launched in 2021, the program is designed to help the community monitor turtle nests, rescue adult turtles from roads and actively protect nesting sites from predators. The name of the organisation, 1 Million Turtles, comes from Ricky’s belief that we can increase turtle populations by 1 million through simple acts of monitoring and preventative conservation.
“If we can get 1 million people saving one turtle [each], or saving a nest or helping to build a turtle island, or picking up turtles off roads, we can get to a million turtles relatively quickly.”
Citizen Scientists check on a previously protected turtle nesting site to find all the eggs successfully hatched. (Courtesy 1 Million Turtles)
A million may seem like an extraordinary number, but Ricky believes we can get there and through TurtleSAT and the 1 Million Turtles project he is keeping a tally. An estimated 1287 adult freshwater turtles and 558 turtle nests have been saved through citizen endeavours according to the latest statistics on the TurtleSAT site.
“Each of the nests we save can have 30 or 40 hatchlings. Every female turtle that someone picks up off the road could live up to an additional 40 – 75 years. Every year she is producing 20 or 30 eggs, and that is potentially thousands of hatchlings just by rescuing one turtle off a road.”
Many people think that turtles are found only in the coastal and river land regions of Australia, yet the waterways of the Blue Mountains have a number of important turtle habitats. The Lagoon in Glenbrook in the Lower Mountains has a turtle basking area and island where turtles can regularly be seen sunning themselves in the warmth of the afternoon. Other colonies have been documented in Mount Victoria, Woodford, Faulconbridge and, Ricky reveals, the Springwood Golf Course has a happy, healthy group of turtles who regularly wander the grounds.
“If you have a garden pond, or a dam on your property, you are likely to have a visiting or resident turtle somewhere nearby,” Ricky says, which is why citizen science works so well for these companionable little creatures.
Two short neck turtle hatchlings discover the world. (Courtesy 1 Million Turtles)
Turtles cohabit with humans extremely well and the partnership is beneficial for everyone, with turtles not only keeping waterways clean and free of debris, but also helping keep down mosquito numbers, eating the larvae in garden ponds, dams and natural waterways.
There are a number of threats to our local turtle populations which we can help to prevent or alleviate.
Bushfire threat is an issue for turtles just as it can be for humans, potentially destroying nests and habitats as well as damaging water quality. Garden pesticides and pollutants getting into waterways is a far more consistent threat, along with the two biggest threats to turtles: cars and feral animals.
Feral foxes can devour an entire nest of turtle eggs or hatchlings in one meal, as well as predate on adult turtles, causing a huge decline in numbers. The current rise in feral fox numbers across the mountains is a concern for turtles and Ricky says the solutions to stopping these predators are not simple.
“Poisoning or trapping foxes in areas where there are turtle colonies has had only marginal effects, as only one fox is needed to create real destruction to turtle numbers.” For this reason, Ricky believes that protecting turtle nesting sites through creating barriers such as protected turtle islands and DIY turtle fences is a much better approach to ensure increasing turtle populations.
Turtle Month offers lots of opportunities to get involved and help protect Blue Mountain turtles. (Courtesy of 1millionturtles.com)
The 1 Million Turtles website offers a range of ideas and clear information and training about how to protect or report nests for locals who have discovered a turtle nesting site nearby.
“It’s important that if you do want to be involved, you do the training we offer on the website,” Ricky says. It’s free and provides all the information needed to ensure people are helping and not harming the turtles they are trying to protect.
Cars and highways present an equally troubling threat, particularly as turtles move across country during breeding and nesting season. But again, Ricky and 1MillionTurtles offers a practical solution.
“If you see a turtle on the road, or the side of the road, and it is safe to stop, then pull over and remove the reptile to a safe area,” Ricky advises. If you can take it to a nearby waterway, that is ideal but as long as it is safely away from roads the turtle should manage to find its way to an appropriate nesting area.
Logging the turtle’s location on TurtleSAT also helps protect and monitor the animal’s movements over time. In fact, Ricky recommends active observation as one of the best ways to protect both the turtles and their environment. If you are out walking and see a turtle, logging it into the app is a quick and effective way of adding to the data and information which helps protect the entire turtle population. “The best thing people can do is get to know their local wetlands. Visit, interact with the environment, and that way they can monitor any changes like water quality or increase or decrease in turtle numbers.”
November is the best time to get involved, with many of our local turtle species nesting throughout the Blue Mountains. The opportunities to see and record these creatures are at an all-time high.
Take Action:
Use the TurtleSAT App.
The app is free to download and use. Simply install on your phone and record any sighting in your garden, suburb or out on your walks or daily activities. For more information go to TurtleSAT to get detailed instructions as well as loads of turtle resources and information about local species. You can also use FeralScan to log fox other feral animal sightings to help with predator management.
Save a Turtle Pedestrian
If you see a turtle attempting to cross a busy road, and it is safe to do so, pull over and relocate it at a safer destination in the direction it was heading, such as a field, waterway or natural bushland.
Protect a Nesting Site
Turtle nesting sites can be protected using common items available in most hardware stores or even found in your own gardens. For more information and training about how to protect nesting sites, log onto 1millionturtles, complete the online training and then you can be a true nest protector.
If You See Something, Say Something
If you see a turtle in trouble, or any kind of changes to your local waterways such as sewage leaks or pollution, immediately contact WIRES, Blue Mountains City Council (4780 5000) or NSW Environment Line (131 555) to report it. These reports can result in fast and effective action to rescue a turtle or clean up or reverse any pollutant damage.
Protect Our Waterways
Healthy waterways are imperative for everyone, including turtles, so making sure you don’t hose off pesticides or chemicals into stormwater drains is a simple way to protect all aquatic species in our local river systems.
Remember, drains are just for rain! What runs down our streets ends up in our creeks.
Wash your car on the lawn, not in the street, so that detergent goes into the soil instead of your street drain.
Waterway experts also suggest planting native grasses on the edges of your property and near stormwater drains: these slow down stormwater and help filter out contaminants like silt, pesticides and fertilisers.
Other ways to protect waterways are by managing runoff from homes (e.g. by installing a rainwater tank and plumbing it into toilet and laundry or building a home rain garden), picking up dog poo and keeping other pollutants out of stormwater drains.
Create a Turtle Oasis
Creating a pond or water feature in your garden can offer a great space for turtles to feed and relax. If you have one of these on your property, make sure it is protected from pets and turtle friendly (not fenced off) to make any local turtle feel welcome.
Get Arty
Organise a kid friendly community or school event where participants can paint turtle rocks and learn about turtle conservation. Check out some of the 1 Million turtles and TurtleSAT art events.
Handmade Turtle rock painting workshops and events are an arty way to raise turtle conservation awareness.
Join the National Nest Predation Survey
Held across the rest of the year, the national survey allows anyone to monitor predator activity on turtle nests by creating ‘fake’ turtle nests and recording predator attacks upon the contents. Although the survey is suspended during actual turtle nesting times in November, you can register your interest to participate and find out more about this backyard citizen science project at 1millionturtles nest predator survey.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
More from around the region
Civil engineer Mark Liebman has worked closely with the Planetary Health Centre to explore ways we can manage water to reduce the impact of severe weather events, from flood to bushfire. At Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March he`ll be giving a presentation and tour of the Centre`s Bushfire Sprinkler Demonstration Wall and the prototype of an underground water tank that could be built at the end of flame zone streets around the perimeter of the City to reduce both stormwater and fire damage. Our video of the Bushfire Sprinkler system has already been helping survivors of the Palisades fire in the US prepare for future fire events. In this week`s story for Blackheath Area Local News you can also read about the green roof Mark built on his garden shed to reduce the impact of extreme weather events at his home in Blackheath. You can see all the videos and reserve a place for Mark`s talk at Planetary Health Day here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/future-proofing-with-community-water-tanks-and-bushfire-sprinkler-systems-tickets-1255928087719
#bushfiresprinklersystem #watertanks #disasterriskreduction #stormwater #bushfire #greenroof #planetaryhealth #katoomba #blackheath #bluemountains #beprepared
Our popular Upcycling Fashion Program has now been running for over a year! Come and check it out at Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1st March. As well, you can build your skills to reduce textile and plastic waste by sewing your own Boomerang Bag with @bbagsbluemtns , joining the Repair Network and learning darning with Elizabeth from @lacebrookstitchery Elizabeth has been studying how people upcycled and mended clothing throughout the centuries. She`ll be demonstrating some basic darning stitches that can be used on woven and knitted garments. She also shares her passion for the timeless crafts of stitchery, crochet, knitting, Victorian lacemaking, and darning skills, through her classes and workshops. You can find out more at www.lacebrookstitchery.com.
NB. There will now be a $10 cost to participate in the Upcycling Fashion Program with pattern maker Sherlie McMillan. Book your place here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fashion-upcycling-program-on-skillshare-saturdays-tickets-1254329957669
#repair #repairnetwork #upcycledfashion #reducingtextilewaste #reducingplasticwaste #boomerangbags #learntosew #patternmaking #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains #community
Our homes profoundly influence our lives, our health & the health of the planet. At Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March, Kirstie Wulf & Karina Rafailov will share their extensive experience in the session: Building Smarter Using Passive House Design & Natural Building Materials. Kirstie Wulf is the award-winning founder of @shelter.building.design & spoke to a packed room last year about building fire resistant homes with hempcrete. Karina Rafailov is the founder of @earthy_haus & specialises in creating energy-efficient, healthy, & nature-connected spaces.
You can reserve a place for this inspiring presentation here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/building-smarter-using-passive-house-design-natural-building-materials-tickets-1235896873819
#buildingsmarter #passivhaus #naturalbuildingmaterials #hempcrete #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains
We are thrilled that the internationally renowned physicist, Professor Emeritus Hans Coster will be joining us for Planetary Health Day to address the question of Life and Energy with his presentation: Evolution and the High Life, but Where to Now?
The options that are there for individuals and communities and society as a whole will be examined. An example of a viable energy system constructed with nickel iron batteries at Middle Earth in the Kanimbla Valley will be briefly presented. But is that approach viable for the larger community?
There is no simple way to address all of the issues. How can individuals operate in this energy environment? How do we maintain a healthy industrial sector? What are the Planetary implications of all this?
Whilst not attempting to provide answers, some food for thought will be presented. If you’d like to attend this presentation, reserve your place here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/prof-hans-coster-on-life-energy-middle-earth-nickel-iron-batteries-tickets-1235955960549
#energy #life #nickelironbatteries #evolution #science #physics #planetaryhealth #middleearth #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains #kanimblavalley #inspiration
Celebrating local innovation we`ll be kicking off Planetary Health Day at 9am on Saturday 1st March with a talk by Lithgow inventor Frank Inzitari. He and his cousin Frank Capomollo were featured on Shark Tank Australia with their invention Fire Halo: a fire-prevention system that cleans your gutters and can keep them flooded with water during bushfires. The product is designed to make it easier to prevent homes catching fire from ember attacks, which are the cause of around 75-80 per cent of bushfire damage to properties. It can also provide redirection of chemicals away from your tank when cleaning your roof or solar panels. If you`d like to find out more reserve your spot here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/reducing-the-risk-of-ember-attack-with-a-fire-halo-tickets-1250666470079
@firehalo.au @sharktankau #firehalo #bushfire #disasterriskreduction #emberattack #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #bluemountains #lithgow #katoomba
We had a fabulous day at the launch of the Birds of Australia STORYBOX in Springwood yesterday, giving everyone a preview of our Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition that will be on display at Planetary Health Day on 1 March. Our exhibition of Birds by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins and Holly Kent is now on display at Springwood. Worth checking out! If you`d like to find out more about all the frogs of the Blue Mountains, and come to Planetary Health Day you can register at the link in our profile. #birdsofthebluemountains #frogsofthebluemountains #frogs #birds #bluemountains #springwood #katoomba #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday
If you weren`t able to catch our fabulous exhibition of Bird Photography by Warren Hinder, Holly Kent and Merryl Watkins you can now pop down to the Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub where they`re on display to complement The Birds of Australia STORYBOX. We`ll be there sharing information about the Planetary Health Centre for the launch today from 10am to 12 noon. Lots happening for the whole family: presentations with the Australian Museum and STUDIO ESEM, WIRES, Wagana Dancers, a replica of Gould`s book in the library, Craft activities, environmental information stalls and more! Come along and say hello.
#planetaryhealth #birdsofaustralia #springwood #bluemountains #birdsofbluemountains
Research is indicating that increasing the number of plant-based meals we eat is better for our health and the health of our planet! A highlight of Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1st March will be the Plant Based Cheese Making Demo & Tasting by Teya from @plantinspired99 For anyone who loves food and cooking, learning new techniques is always exciting! Teya will demonstrate how to make basic artisan cheese, blue vein cheese and a melting mozzarella-type of cheese for your pizzas and warm sandwiches. Reserve your place here for this popular event (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/plant-based-cheese-making-demo-tasting-tickets-1235848188199
#plantinspired #plantbased #plantbasedcheese #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthdiet #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains #planetaryhealthcentre #newcookingtechniques
Timber is one of our most valuable resources but too often, when a tree comes down, people only think of turning it into wood chip or firewood instead of much higher value timber products that can last as long as the tree took to grow! Come along to Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1st March and be inspired by how Michael Trickett can bring his mobile sawmill to you and produce high value timber for building or furniture making. Reserve your spot for Planetary Health Day here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/planetary-health-day-tickets-1235611640679
#timber #mobilesawmill #planetaryhealth #trees #morethanwoodchip #morethanfirewood #planetaryhealthday #katoomba #bluemountains
Have you been hearing frogs in your yard or neighbourhood? One of the highlights of our upcoming Planetary Health Day on Saturday 1 March is our exhibition of Frogs of the Blue Mountains. We`ll have photos of all the known frogs of the Blue Mountains with links to their calls and we`re thrilled that Britt Mitchell from the @australianmuseum will share her experience as a frog call validator for the Museum`s FrogID project. She will discuss how FrogID has assisted her PhD research: “Australia’s frog species in the Anthropocene – habitat loss, climate change, behaviour, and disease”, the positive impact FrogID is making and how to get involved with this Citizen Science project. If you`d like to hear Britt speak you can reserve a place here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/frogid-people-powered-frog-conservation-tickets-1235831287649
The photo of the frog below is by Holly Kent and features in the exhibition.
@frogidaus #frogs #treefrogs #frogsofthebluemountains #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #citizenscience #katoomba #bluemountains #familyday
Planetary Health Day is coming up on 1 March. SAVE THE DATE! We all need a Planetary Health Day where we can connect with community, have fun, get inspired, buy fresh local produce and learn ways to work together to restore the health of our planet and prepare for a more challenging future.
Check out our program and book to come along here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/planetary-health-day-tickets-1235611640679
#planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthday #community #beprepared #conservation #restoration #repair #localproduce #mobilesawmill #frogID #plantbased #bushfire #disasterriskreduction #firehalo
