The Roosenburg Lab at Ohio University works with vertebrate conservation, population ecology and evolution, including outreach and education programs. Poplar Island Project: Poplar Island is a large scale environmental restoration site created by the Army Corps of Engineers that is rebuilding salt marshes, tidal mudflats, and upland coastal forests. Poplar Island is being rebuilt in the Chesapeake
Bay using dredge material from the Baltimore Shipping Channel that must be removed to allow for the safe passage of ships. Terrapins began nesting on sandy beaches formed by the dredge material. The lack of mammalian nest predators allows for high nest success every year. A long term mark-recapture study has allowed us to study the life history of terrapins in detail, as well as the effectiveness of headstart programs. The headstart program provides outreach in K-12 schools across Maryland. It involves students raising terrapins in the classroom setting and collecting growth data to contribute to the program. The students then travel to Poplar Island to release their terrapins and observe their state reptile in its natural habitat. The Poplar Island project is partnered with the Diamondback Terrapin Working Group (dtwg):
www.facebook.com/terrapin.dtwg
Nelsonville Bypass Project: The Nelsonville Bypass is an 8.5 mile stretch of highway in Nelsonville, OH that bisects Wayne National Forest. The Ohio Department of Transportation has installed multiple wildlife crossings and fencing containing deer-jumpouts to limit wildlife mortality and mitigate habitat fragmentation. The Roosenburg Lab studies the amphibians and reptiles at this site. Surveys and mark recapture methods are used to document present species, determine population sizes, and evaluate the impact of the bypass on these animals. The installed culverts will be studied to determine whether animals are crossing the entire culvert or exiting out the same side they entered. This will determine whether the culverts are effectively mitigating road habitat fragmentation. Current Graduate Students: Steve Krichbaum, Paul Converse, Sarah Kitson, Garrett Sisson, Charlene Hopkins
