Life on the Watershed: Young Western Pond Turtles on the Move

Fall is the time of year when tiny Western pond turtle hatchlings are making their way from warm sandy nests--where they've incubated and hatched on their own--to their permanent reservoir home. The mother left months ago after laying her eggs in early summer, but every year's young instinctively know where to go.

The 36-square-mile Peninsula Watershed is home to an abundance of native plant and wildlife species, including this vulnerable amphibian. Western pond turtles can live for up to 50 years in the wild, but this year's hatchlings won't be ready themselves to breed for another six years or so.