Attention all freshwater turtle lovers! Our native turtle population is at threat and needs your help!

The Leschenault Catchment Council is supporting the Friends of Big Swamp as a proud partner of the Murdoch University and South West Metropolitan Alliance led Saving Our Snake Necked Turtle (SOSNT) project, with ongoing support and commitment from the City of Bunbury.

Many of the City’s wetlands, including the Big Swamp, Horseshoe Lake, and Dodson Lake, are home to populations of the snake-necked turtle which are under threat from a combination of predators such as foxes and ravens, vehicle strikes on our roads, lack of suitable nesting habitat and the increased drying of southwest wetlands.

The Friends of Big Swamp have committed to a funding partnership which will provide the Greater Bunbury community with opportunities to help save snake-necked turtles. You can learn about the turtles and the latest research, and how to contribute data using the TurtleSAT app. SOSNT also provides YOU with an opportunity to help protect this species under threat by receiving training to become a ‘Turtle Tracker’! This includes tracking nesting females, protecting their nests, and logging this data on the TurtleSAT app – all of which will inform which actions will best conserve our turtle.

Come along to this session to find out more about turtles, the project and how you can help just by using your smartphone! After the turtle information talk, you will have the opportunity to be trained to join our turtle-y cool group of volunteer ‘Turtle Trackers’ to help save turtles at a wetland near you (with the added bonus of increasing your fitness and engaging with like-minded people).