Amphibians and Reptiles

Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring

In 2007, the Forest Preserve District began to update a 1987 countywide survey of reptiles and amphibians. The presence or absence of certain species will help ecologists determine the overall health and quality of the county’s ecosystems and formulate restoration efforts. To view information collected during frog call monitoring, download Frog Monitoring Summary.

Blanding’s Turtle Recovery Program

Since 1996, the Forest Preserve District has collected Blanding’s turtle eggs as part of a program to revitalize the dwindling population of this rare species. The program was spurred by District studies that discovered that the local population was comprised mainly of older individuals and very few juveniles, reducing the potential for natural population growth. In addition, development and land alterations had fragmented and reduced the turtles’ wetland habitat.

Each year, ecologists use radio telemetry to locate adult female Blanding’s turtles, which they take to Willowbrook Wildlife Center. Any eggs the turtles lay at the center remain in incubators until they hatch. The young turtles spend their first year at the center and their second year at Wheaton Park District’s Cosley Zoo. This helps both hatchling and yearling survival rates. Ecologists have reared and released over 1,000 turtles, with an increase in hatchling success rates from 60 to 90 percent.

In 2008, the Forest Preserve District collaborated with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago on a permanent Blanding’s turtle exhibit to introduce this state-endangered species to the public and to further teach the public about the importance and significance of marshes and wetlands in the region. The District is also working with the University of Illinois, Brookfield Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium on a number of research projects.

To view photos of Blanding's turtles, view Blanding's Turtle Recovery Program Photo Gallery.