Amy St Lawrence holding a six-year-old Eastern long-necked turtle. (Photo: Will Goodwin)
Story by Julie Nance
Glenbrook Lagoon is like a retirement village for turtles, where the majority of the freshwater reptiles are senior citizens. With 95 out of 100 eggs eaten by foxes, the odds are against baby turtles entering the world. However, things are now looking up for the lagoon’s turtle population. The floating eco habitat Turtle Island is proving to be a safe haven, and a community-led nest protection strategy is also making a big difference.
Key Points:
Freshwater turtles lay 8 to 24 eggs at once, an attractive meal for foxes if nests are not protected.
Every individual, not just the experts, can help protect turtle nests with short online training.
Even a small act like moving a turtle off the road can help boost dwindling turtle populations.
On a rainy afternoon in late October Amy St Lawrence was at Glenbrook Lagoon, finishing up a full day of collecting water samples at sites across the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains City Council Aquatic Systems Officer spotted two Eastern long-necked turtles digging nests nearby on the sandy lagoon bank. It was a rare sight, particularly as it was a little early for the November to January nesting season. “I was so excited; I’d never seen that before,” Amy says.
A rare find: one of three Eastern long-necked turtles spotted nesting at Glenbrook Lagoon in late 2023. (Photo: Amy St Lawrence)
Amy sent colleague Will Goodwin a photo of the turtles as he was preparing for a large school excursion the next day.
He recalls: “It was an amazing feeling getting that photo because we care so much about these animals and getting to see this valuable thing happening was such a privilege.
“It started this massive race against the clock, a panic to protect the nests before sunset.”
The two nesting Eastern long-necked turtles with a curious swamp hen. (Video: Amy St Lawrence / Julie Nance)
Amy watched one of the turtles move into the bush after being disturbed by nearby swamp hens. She reluctantly left the remaining turtle as she had to rush the time-sensitive water samples to a lab in Smithfield.
In the meantime, Will was busy getting supplies to protect the nests, drawing on training from the 1 Million Turtles Conservation Program website. He also made signs alerting the public to be careful.
When Amy got back to the site with her own supplies, a mother and young daughter, and a father and son, were keeping watch. They had witnessed the laying of seven eggs into the nest, which the turtle was now covering with dirt before returning to the lagoon.
Amy and Will set to work pinning mesh over the nests and putting up signs.
Amy laying protective mesh over a nest, using the method outlined on the 1 Million Turtles website. (Photo: Will Godwin)
Will also protecting a turtle nest. (Photo: Amy St Lawrence)
The father who had helped keep vigil told Amy and Will he had seen another nest close to his home on the other side of the lagoon. They went and protected that nest and left the family with materials and instructions on how to protect further nests.
Since that exciting day Amy has seen another turtle nesting at a different part of the lagoon while she was water sampling.
“I’d never seen it before and I ended up seeing three turtles nesting within a few weeks,” she says. “The father we helped was really interested in finding more nests and protecting them. It has been amazing seeing the response from the community.”
Freshwater turtles nationally are under threat and in decline due to fox predation, widespread drought, habitat loss and vehicle strike.
To help address their plight, a floating eco habitat, Turtle Island, was built in early 2020 at Glenbrook Lagoon, a few metres from the sandy bank where the two turtles were spotted nesting. A collaboration between the Glenbrook Lagoon Bushcare group, Blue Mountains City Council and Western Sydney University (WSU), the nesting place is proving to be successful for the small residents.
During the breeding season over the 2022/23 summer, two entire clutches (batches of eggs) successfully hatched on the island.
Will says a gamechanger for the survival of the turtles is the actions of community members. Glenbrook Lagoon Bushcare volunteers built the island and organised the plantings. Other locals and interested volunteers have joined as Citizen Scientists.
WSU Associate Professor Ricky Spencer, who was the innovator behind the island, pioneered the Citizen Science program 1 Million Turtles. To become a Citizen Scientist, you need to complete short online training to understand how to protect the nests correctly in an ethically responsible way while minimising any potential risk to yourself or any species.
Dr Spencer’s community-led turtle conservation work won him an Australian Eureka award last year for Innovation in Citizen Science. By downloading his TurtleSAT, the first fully integrated citizen science app focusing on monitoring turtles, you can enter nest protection and other data.
Turtle Island with nesting boxes and vegetation native to the lagoon. It has been placed far enough away from shore to deter foxes from swimming to it and eating the turtle eggs and occasional waterfowl hatchlings. Many species of birds are found on and around the island. (Video: Julie Nance)
Will says: “I view what is happening at Glenbrook Lagoon as a massive success story in the sense that things are looking up for the turtles. It is something where everyone can get involved and Turtle Island is one element of that.
“Turtles have had a rough trot but we’re now at the stage where things are starting to actually work. We’ve got nest protection that works, an island that works and we’ve got people who care.” – Will Godwin
Turtles play an important role in maintaining water quality by consuming dead and rotting carcasses from the water, reducing the risk of algal blooms.
Freshwater turtles can live for more than 100 years. Will says turtle surveys at Glenbrook Lagoon indicate most of the turtle inhabitants are old. However, it was a promising sign when Dr Spencer and students caught and then released a six-year-old Eastern long-necked turtle in Autumn 2022.
Turtles are cold blooded animals, so they need to be able to get their body temperature up to go about their business including feeding and breeding. A turtle basking platform has also been erected near Turtle Island, designed to help adult turtles vulnerable to predators including dogs.
“Their shell is made out of keratin which is the exact same stuff that goat horns, and other treats we give our dogs, are made out of,” Will says. “Unfortunately, if dogs are off leash and they’re not controlled, the turtles end up being a chew toy. The basking platform helps the turtles but also allows anyone to get up close and study them, entering important information into the TurtleSAT app.”
Will says having individuals out there looking for turtles, recording their observations, and protecting the nests is what will make the biggest impact.
“Hopefully we will have cute little baby turtles taking their first swim at Glenbrook Lagoon within a few months. It’s an exciting time.”
An eight-week-old Eastern long-necked turtle. Will says: “This is the goal; we’re all working towards seeing more little guys like this cruising around.” (Photo: Will Goodwin)
Look out for turtles and their nests. Log information, including any turtle injuries, into TurtleSAT.
Blue Mountains residents who have done the 1 Million Turtles training can be supported with free materials. Email Will at wgoodwin@bmcc.nsw.gov.au with proof of completion of the training.
If you see a turtle crossing the road and it is safe to do so, carefully pick it up and immediately put it down on the other side of the road in the direction it was heading. That one little act could mean decades more years of breeding for that turtle.
Learn about the amazing work of Valley Heights resident Shane Davies: The Turtle Saviour.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
Delicious plant based and gluten free pastries courtesy of Clean Cravings at World Animal Day today at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. Such a lovely day! #planetaryhealth #worldanimalday...
Paul Nagle and other members of the Blue Mountains Bird Observers leading 40 people on a Guided Breakfast with the Birds as part of World Animal Day at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Precinct. It`s a stunning day. Lots more to come at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba....
A huge thank you to Josh Logan from Logan Signs, Lithgow, for installing our Circular Water Signage in time for our World Animal Day Celebration today at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre (33-39 Acacia St Katoomba). We have a full program of events with lots of information on how to prepare for the summer ahead and how to create urban areas that help us share our home respectfully with all species. It will be a fun family day too with storytime, craft and live music for kids! (Link in profile) #worldanimalday #planetaryhealth #familyday #katoomba #bluemountains...
And our Wild Life exhibition is now up for World Animal Day tomorrow at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. Photographs by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Holly Kent and Tracy Burgess. Check out all the other events from stalls, talks, possum box demo, kid`s craft and animal storytime, plant based food and live music to Bushcare. @33-39 Acacia St Katoomba Link in profile. #planetaryhealth #worldanimalday #katoomba...
Join the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative at World Animal Day this Saturday 5 October for a discussion on the history of the Plant Based Food Movement in Australia and a discussion of exciting contemporary trends. It will be followed by a Plant Based Cheese Degustation to launch the Plant Inspired Community Cooking Project. This will be a series of cooking classes to introduce the community to plant based cooking techniques. The event is free but places are limited so bookings essential (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3Bzbwhu #plantbasedcooking #worldanimalday #bluemountains #katoomba #planetaryhealth #communitycooking...
We share the Blue Mountains with so many extraordinary beings but have you seen them and do you know their names? Do you know the difference between a Royal Spoonbill and an Eastern Shrike-tit, or the difference between a bandicoot and an antechinus? Come and check out our Wild Life Exhibition at World Animal Day this Saturday to learn more from the stunning photographs by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Holly Kent and Tracy Burgess. There will be also be a Breakfast with the Birds at 8.30am, Animal Storytime and Craft for kids from 10am, stalls, talks, food and live music. The day is free but please book via Eventbrite to help us cater (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4eMhbz0 @bluemountainswalks @merrylwatkinsphotography @bestofbluemountains #royalspoonbill #easternshriketit #wildlife #birdsofthebluemountains #bluemountains #katoomba #worldanimalday #biodiversity #planetaryhealth...
To coincide with the first day of Bushfire Season we launched Air Watch at the Planetary Health Centre yesterday. For the last seven years Blue Mountains Unions & Community have been working tirelessly to ensure residents of the Blue Mountains and Lithgow are able to measure and track the quality of the air we breathe. The Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has worked closely with them over the last year and now there are 20 PurpleAir monitors distributed throughout the Blue Mountains and Lithgow, including one at the Planetary Health Centre. You can now view real time air quality measurements at each of our local news sites and on the Purple Air Map https://map.purpleair.com We have 10 more sensors available, so if you’d like to install a sensor, members of BMUC will be at World Animal Day at the Planetary Health Centre this Saturday 5 October to take applications and share more information about the project. Bookings for World Animal Day here (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/world-animal-day-promoting-respectful-cohabitation-tickets-1029328889417
It was a fabulous day yesterday as each speaker highlighted how critically important this project is: Dr Rosemary Dillon CEO of Blue Mountains City Council Trish Doyle MP Dr Jenna Condie from Blue Mountains Parents for Climate Dr Maggie Davidson, environmental scientist from Western Sydney University Matthew Riley, Director Climate and Atmospheric Science from NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Peter Lammiman and Ann-Maree McEwan from the BMUC’s Airwatch Committee. @bluemountainsunionists @nswdcceew @bluemountainscitycouncil @westernsydneyu @trishdoylemp @parentsforclimatebluemountains #airqualilty #airqualitymonitors #bluemountains #planetaryhealth...
Treat yourself this weekend with a fun-filled and informative World Animal Day event at the Planetary Health Precinct in Katoomba. As well as a Breakfast with the Birds, stalls and a possum box demonstration, there will be a fabulous wildlife exhibition with photos by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Tracy Burgess and Holly Jayne; live music with Mem Davis, Joe Flood and Duck Keegan; lots of fun for kids with Sharon Baldwin and Naomi Crew leading animal storytime and craft with Julie Refferty; delicious plant based, gluten and dairy free treats, pastries and donuts from Clean Cravings; a plant based cheese degustation and warming Dahl, rice roasted cauliflower with veggies, pakoras, tamarind chutney, and salad courtesy of Bibi’s Kitchen. Come and learn more about Blue Mountains Bird Observers, Blue Mountains Conservation Society, WIRES, Action for Animals Blue Mountains and Animal Sanctuaries, Wombat Rescue, the Women’s Shed, and Animal Welfare Laws in Australia.
Guest speakers throughout the day will include Elizabeth Ellis, lecturer and author of Australian Animal Law; Hal Ginges, a local lawyer and animal activist from Action for Animals who advocates for animal rights and raises money for sanctuaries; Mark Berriman who has been President of the Australian Vegetarian Society NSW since 1989, as well as Co-ordinator for Animal Liberation NSW, Director of the Natural Health Society of Australia and the World League for Protection of Animals; and Teya Brooks Pribac, a researcher in the area of animal studies and the award-winning author of Enter the Animal. She’s also published Not Just Another Vegan Cookbook and will be sharing her culinary skills with the community in the Plant Inspired Community Cooking Project.
The event is free but please book your place to help us cater (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/world-animal-day-promoting-respectful-cohabitation-tickets-1029328889417
We are so looking forward to kicking off World Animal Day Celebrations on Saturday 5 October with an 8.30am Breakfast with the Birds. Join Paul Nagle from the Blue Mountains Bird Observers on a guided bird walk around the Planetary Health Precinct visiting different habitats on the site to observe and talk about the birdlife that is resident and that visits the site. Binoculars are highly recommended.
World Animal Day will be an inspiring family day celebrating the extraordinary diversity of animals we share our world with! The theme is `Promoting Respectful Cohabitation`. Bookings for the Breakfast with the Birds (link in profile) or here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/breakfast-with-the-birds-tickets-1028664983657
We all need clean air to breathe, but how can we tell how clean our air is? Thankfully the Air Watch subcommittee of Blue Mountains Unions & Community has worked for years to find ways to help us measure the quality of the air we breathe. Over the past year the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has worked with them to install Purple Air Quality monitors across our bioregion from Lithgow to the Lower Mountains. You can now view real time air quality on each of our Local News Sites! Air Watch`s Purple Air quality monitors give the Blue Mountains` 78,000 residents, workers and 3 to 5 million/year visitors the power to make timely, informed decisions about their activities and health. It will also be a reliable source of data for the scientific community. To coincide with the start of the Bushfire Season on Tuesday 1 October, we`re inviting the whole community to join us to launch Air Watch Blue Mountains and Lithgow at the Planetary Health Precinct. If you`d like to join us book a place here https://bit.ly/4dp2qko (link in profile)
Today`s the day for the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival! @bluemtns_sustainability_fest We`ll be at the Speakers Forum at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre at 10.15, talking about volunteer opportunities with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative, and then giving a presentation at 2.30pm. There`s a jam-packed speakers program, community stalls and workshops, and a Shopping Trail through Katoomba and Leura. You can find more information on the website at https://resilientbluemountains.org/sustainability-festival/
Our newsletter is out! Read about the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival this Saturday, the Air Watch Launch next Tuesday and the upcoming World Animal Day: Promoting Respectful Cohabitation Event at the Planetary Health Precinct on 5 October. And check out the comprehensive Springwood & Lower Mountains Repairers Guide (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3TJiKFR
You can subscribe to receive this newsletter via any of our local news sites.
Julie Nance is a community storyteller with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. In her coverage of the Lower Mountains area, she brings 30 years’ experience in communications, publishing and journalism.
After specialising in health and social issues as a journalist, Julie led creative teams in the government and not-for-profit sectors including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, YMCA NSW, Cancer Council NSW and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Julie is passionate about empowering people with quality information to help them make informed choices.
During COVID lockdowns, Merryl Watkins posted a new bird photo on social media every day. The Blaxland resident wanted to remind people there was still beauty in the world and joy to be found if you stop, look and listen.