You may have noticed the terrapin crossing signs that dot our roadways.  Chrissie Lanzieri has been working to help this threatened species, and they are just as interesting to observe as the loggerheads.  Under the supervision of professors at the college of Charleston, Chrissie has a permit from SCDNR to study our terrapin population.  Diamondback terrapin are the only brackish water turtle, and they come ashore to lay eggs in the summer months.  They play a valuable role in the salt marsh.  Along with blue crabs, they are the main predators of marsh periwinkle, the small snails found on the marshgrass.  Apparently, when crabs and terrapin are removed from an area, a rich marsh can deteriorate to a mudflat in just 8 months!

Chrissie is researching where and when they lay eggs, how many, and marking the turtle so we can determine how often they nest.  If you see a terrapin nesting, call her at 568-3996.