Turtle Love

In Topanga, they brake for turtles.

But they don’t brake often because there aren’t that many.

Topanga’s terrapins--the western pond turtle that once thrived in creeks all over California--are on the state’s list of threatened species.

After decades living in unsung obscurity in the canyon, the first specimen of the disappearing creature, a member of the Southwestern subspecies, was found in June 1996, inching across Old Topanga Canyon Road.

Several more have been spotted since, including a few flattened by vehicles.

In an effort to revive the turtle population, the Topanga Town Council has launched a drive to erect a series of warning signs: “SLOW (turtle silhouette) XING.”

The first sign was erected on Sunday, Jan. 25 on Old Topanga Canyon Road at the Red Rock bridge, a spot where several of the creek critters were seen in the road. The council’s goal is to place signs all along a three-mile stretch of the winding mountain route by persuading residents to shell out $70 per sign.

The turtles look fairly ordinary. “They’re very similar to the red-eared slider, the typical turtle that everybody had as kids,” said Kathleen Bullard, executive officer of the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. “You know--the kind that came with the plastic container with the palm tree.”

Four years ago, the turtles were on the state’s list of species considered “of special concern” because of dwindling numbers and habitat. Their situation has since worsened, placing them on the list of threatened species, just a step away from danger of extinction.

“There are very few left in Southern California,” said Sean Manion, a state conservation district biologist. He said the reclusive turtles, which have a drab brownish-green shell from 6 to 8 inches in length, “were just rediscovered.”

He said only four live turtles have been reported to the conservation district in Topanga Canyon, although biologists suspect others have been seen. “We know they are breeding because we found one young one,” Manion said, “although probably on an extremely limited scale . . . The population is highly vulnerable and right on the verge of extinction.”

Biologists “are attempting to find small pockets of populations of the turtles,” but so far have found only scattered individuals, he said.

While scientists try to puzzle out where the turtles are coming from, a few Topanga residents have discovered the turtles’ haven--a small natural pond in a high meadow surrounded by ridges. They keep the location secret, fearing the turtles will be harmed if word leaks out.

The pond is a half-mile from the home of Paul Bordier, on 120 acres of land that is privately owned but up for sale. Residents who know about the pond are hoping the land will be acquired by a state or federal agency and preserved as parkland. In addition to the rare turtles, the property teems with frogs, toads, deer, bobcats, mountain lions and an abundance of other wildlife.

Bordier, who has lived in the canyon for 10 years, said he has researched the history of the pond and kept watch on it as it varied year to year between a large body of clear water and a dry lake bed. But something happened after the disastrous wildfires in 1994, he said.

“The whole ecosystem changed with all of the silt and debris that washed down into the pond from the barren hills,” Bordier said.

The pond has shrunk in size to about a half-acre. It is surrounded by a wide expanse of sandy banks and the water is murky, filled with debris. In short, the pond has become the perfect breeding ground for the western pond turtle. Dozens of the shy creatures could be seen and heard plopping into the water when approached by visitors this week.

“This pond is unique in the Santa Monica Mountains,” Bordier said. “I have never heard of anything else like it.”

Biologists said the turtles need water, sandy banks to lay their eggs and a lot of sunlight to help the eggs hatch. They can disappear in the murky water out of the sight of predators or spend hours basking in the sun, lolling on floating debris.

Manion, of the conservation district, said he was unaware of the turtle population at the remote pond, but vowed to revisit the site, which he said he has not seen in more than a year. He said the turtles’ natural enemies, besides vehicles and humans, include coyotes, raccoons and other predators.

While turtles have a wide-ranging diet, they favor meat, fish and insects, Manion said. They also migrate, sometimes traveling two miles, to different streams and ponds, searching for sandy banks.

It is illegal to keep wild turtles in captivity. Manion said that if one is spotted crossing the road, it should be moved off the roadway, photographed if possible and then left alone. He urged that sightings be reported to the conservation district office, which records the information.

In an article for the Topanga newspaper, the Messenger, state conservation district biologist Rosi Dagit wrote that she hopes the roadside turtle warnings proliferate. “Perhaps we would not only be able to save a few turtles from becoming flattened fauna, but make it safer for everyone to stroll along the road.”

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Western Pond Turtle

Clemmys marmorala pollide

At least four Western Pond Turtles, the Southwestern subspecies, have been seen in the Old Topanga area of Topanga Canyon recently.

* Description: 6- 8 inches long, smooth shell is dark green to brown, marked with dark flecks and lines.

* Status: On state threatened list, few habitats left in the state due to urban development and resulting silted up or polluted rivers and creeks.

* Habitat: Ponds in riparian areas with abundant vegetation. Few small populations exist in Santa Monica Mountains and Santa Clara River.

Sources: “The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians”; Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.