Environmental Laws and Regulations

Geology | Lehigh River Watershed Explorations | Weather | Environmental Issues | Data Collection Activities

The Bog Turtle is a threatened species in Pennsylvania, as well as other surrounding states (EPA region 3). The decline of the species is primarily due to loss, degredation and fragmentation of habitat and excessive capturing for the pet trade. Laws against collecting the turtles for the pet trade have been largely ineffective. Housing developments, building on and filling in of wetlands, and other watershed disturbances have been the major causes of population decline. Other threats include excessive pesticide use in the surrounding watershed that impact the turtles directly as well as their food source.

The bog turtle is slow to recover from population loss because they have few young per breeding season and their young have a high mortality rate. They prefer to live in sphagnum bogs, fens, marshy meadows, spring seeps, wet cow pastures, and shrub swamps. An undisturbed riparian system is ideal for providing the variety of microhabitats required by the bog turtle for foraging.

The bog turtle is one of many species listed as threatened and endangered as a result of human activity which has reduced or changed the habitat for various species significantly. There are many organizations and some important laws which aim to protect these species. However, further work is necessary to protect threatened and endangered species.

Environmental Issue Scenarios