SHELL LAKE — Whitetails Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited or the Ruffed Grouse Society are nonprofit organizations dedicated to the betterment of our natural resources. You’ve likely heard of them; maybe you’re even a member or have supported them in the past. But if you have a warm spot in your heart for the underdog, you’ve got to like what Turtles for Tomorrow are doing in Wisconsin to protect species like the wood turtle.
As a bit of background, 55 species of amphibians and reptiles, collectively known as herptiles, call Wisconsin home. Of these, 19 are amphibians such as frogs and salamanders while 36 are reptiles, including 21 species of snakes, four lizards and 11 species of turtles.
Reptiles, which have a much larger home range than amphibians, are slow to mature, sometimes requiring many years to reach breeding age. Although they can live much longer than amphibians, this slow maturation means it takes more time to replace adult mortality in their population than other species.