Michigan and Ohio wildlife officials will spend $500,000 in taxpayer money to count rare turtles as part of the Biden administration’s $7.5 million effort to “conserve vulnerable wildlife.”

The work in Michigan will center on Blanding’s and spotted turtles, two rare wetland species that are currently under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for inclusion on the Endangered Species List over concerns about habitat loss, Bridge Michigan reports.

“This grant program has definitely provided really critical funding to work on these species,” Yu Man Lee, conservation scientist at the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, told the news site. “If we didn’t get this grant we would be scrambling for sure.”

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The intent of the funding is to get a better understanding of survival of nests and baby turtles for both populations in a state that has lost 40% of its traditional wetlands by 2005. Both Blanding’s and spotted turtles need wetlands adjacent to dry sites for nesting, but many of those areas have been consumed by vegetation or development, Lee said.

Other threats include predation from raccoons or other species on nests, nesting areas fragmented by roads, and the illegal pet trade, according to Bridge.

In addition to the $500,000 in federal funding, state agencies on the receiving end of the $7.5 million in 2024 grants are contributing a combined $2.4 million in non-federal funds to support the projects, though the exact amount Michigan will spend is unclear.

Lee warned that the loss of Blanding’s or spotted turtles, both aquatic omnivores, could led to negative cascading impacts on their wetland habitats.

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“They’re all tied together, everything is all connected in these ecosystems,” she told Bridge. “I think they’re just also these really cool and unique species.”

According to a statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Partners in Michigan and Ohio will use (competitive state wildlife grant) funding to collect key information on the status, distribution, and ecology of Blanding’s and spotted turtle populations to inform and prioritize management efforts. Both species have experienced range-wide declines and are currently in review for potential federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Data and other key information generated through this project will be shared to contribute to range-wide recovery efforts for these declining species, continuing the states’ successful partnership to conserve at-risk turtles at a large landscape scale. Funding for this project will also support the project’s co-leads, the Michigan and Ohio Departments of Natural Resources.  

The turtles are among 300 “species of greatest conservation need” listed in Michigan’s Wildlife Action Plan, which also includes the Eastern box turtle, Eastern Musk Turtle, and wood turtle.

For the Blanding’s turtle, “populations have declined more than 50% over three generations across the species’ entire range and declines are expected to continue,” according to the plan. “Population abundance in Michigan is unknown, however population declines appear to be less severe than across the range.”

Spotted turtle populations have also declined by more than 50% over the species’ range, and officials are seeking federal protections “due to a relatively small area of occupancy and extent of occurrence.”

The broader $7.4 million in federal funding will also support similar projects in seven other states and two U.S. territories, including Hawai’ian honeycreeper bird, monarch butterfly, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, and Western purple martin. The funds will also be used for “assessing species’ climate vulnerability.”

The competitive federal grant program has doled out $103 million in federal taxpayer funds for at risk species since 2008, according to the USFWS.

“State and territory fish and wildlife agencies are essential partners in protecting America’s wild places and wildlife for future generations,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “These grants will help them conduct important work to promote recovery of wildlife and their habitat for those most in need of help and we are proud to support their work.”