theTurtleRoom launches new website, new daily blog feature, new shop, and more.
Today, we are excited to launch our new website, outfitted with a new logo and colors that we hope will be recognizable as theTurtleRoom for years, even decades to come. We hope you like the new look and the new functionality the site brings.
Additionally, we will be starting a daily news feature that will run about 6 days a week and hope to continue building the consistency of The Pondcast’s scheduling. A new species profile, on the Radiated Tortoise, by Chris Leone of GardenStateTortoise, LLC will also debuts today along with the new website.
Speaking of Chris, we want to congratulate him again on being named The Reptile Report’s 2014 Reader’s Choice Chelonia Breeder of the Year. Chris has contributed to our site for some time, and we have developed a strong partnership. That continues with Chris being officially recognized in our staff section as an Educational Resource Contributor. Andrew Hermes, of Arizona Tortoise Compound will also appear there as a long-time contributor to theTurtleRoom. He finished as the runner-up to Chris for that award. Congrats to both you! We are so glad to recognize you as part of the tTR team!
Another new feature that you will see on the new site is a membership option. Now YOU can become a member of theTurtleRoom for $35/yr and receive a free calendar, a members-only annual newsletter with exclusive articles and project updates (paper copy and online version – will ship each November), and discounts in our store on most products. So, consider supporting our mission through membership and receive these discounts.
Lastly, we have new t-shirts with our new logo on them available in the new shop for pre-order. There is both a unisex and women’s version. Pick from 5 colors!
What follows is a short sample of what you’ll see in our new daily news feature. This feature will be headed up by Educational Resource Developer Kévin Labille and Blog Contributor Rodney Lewis, who joins us as part of the news team.
Bog Turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) win another battle.
Bog Turtles won another victory this week in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania – quite possibly the county with the greatest Bog Turtle population in all the country. This is big news for the rarest turtle in the US and especially exciting news for us, as it is very close to our headquarters. For a turtle with such a unique habitat and segmented population, we’re very happy to see this happen. This preserve will be the second of its kind in Lancaster County. We’re glad these steps are being taken and encouraged that the land developer seems to be on board with the project, as well. Always a plus when the commercial entities aren’t fighting good things.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
159 tortoises hatch on Isabela Island (in Spanish).
Australia improves laws. Trawling rejigged to save turtles.
If you live in the Marin County, California area, you can get involved in the effort to save the Western/Pacific Pond Turtle.
Ecology
The Texas Tortoise, Gopherus berlandieri, is used as an indicator species to monitor the well being of a state park in Texas.
Crime and Punishment
Check out this video on taking down Vietnam’s “Turtle King”.
This man in India may not be the best park visitor.
1,000 hatchling turtles were stolen from man’s home in China.
Did You Know…
…the bog turtle was first discovered (in Lancaster County, actually!) by Rev. Gotthilf Hunrich Ernst Muhlenberg, a Colonial-era self-taught botanist who was responsible for the names of about 150 species of plants? In 1801, the species was named after him and until the 1950s, the recognized common name was “Muhlenberg’s Turtle”.
