Bog Turtle Documentary

                                                                                    
The Bog Turtle is North America's smallest turtle, approximately four inches in size and an inhabitant of lush, sunny wetlands fed by cold, mineral-rich springs, it is emblematic of healthy, functioning wetland ecosystems . . .

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
T H E   T H R E A T !  -   It boggles the mind . . .Despite wetland protection laws, Bog Turtle habitat is being lost and/or degraded from urban and agricultural run-off and depletion of water table. Degraded, hydrologically-compromised wetlands often become overgrown with nonnative plants and woody species that aggressively outcompete native, herbaceous flora and create dense, shady canopies that are unsuitable for Bog Turtle nesting and other life histories. Furthermore, the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is being dismantled by the current administration, jeopardizing protection and recovery resources for Bog Turtles and other vulnerable wildlife.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
I M P O R T A N C E   O F   D O C U M E N T A R Y  -  Our documentary tells the story of how the hands-on conservation of a state-endangered, federally-threatened species was embraced by farmers and other private landowners, who never saw or so much as even heard of this diminutive turtle. Through interviews with landowners, biologists, and habitat restoration specialists, as well as intimate field footage of the Bog Turtle, we provide insight into the uniqueness of the species and its habitat and demonstrate how some landowners have restored dozens of acres overgrown, scrubby thickets on nonnative plants into open, verdant meadows teeming with life. We also show how some dairy farmers are benefiting financially from stewarding their land for Bog Turtles.

                                                                                                        
U L T I M A T E  G O A L S   O F   D O C U M E N T A R Y  -  
 
• Increase public awareness about endangered species recovery efforts, the importance of wetland conservation, and ecological restoration. 

• Demonstrate how private landowners can become proactive conservationists through managing their lands for biodiversity.

• Provide a case-study that demonstrates how endangered species conservation can be an economic boon for landowners and rural communities, the latter of which is particularly important in light of the looming federal dismantling of the Endangered Species Act. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
W H A T   F U N D I N G   W I L L   A C C O M P L I S H  -  The money requested will enable us to complete the filming, production and distribution of this documentary!  We then intend to continue with a series of documentaries focusing on the recovery of an endangered species and other biodiversity through partnerships with private landowners in the Northeast.  Other focal topics will include bats, New England Cottontail, Eastern Hellbender, Blanding's Turtle, Golden-Winged Warbler, Brook Trout, pollinator insects, vernal pool communities, and much more! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
P R O M I S I N G   N E W S  -   Conservationists and private landowners in southeastern New York have achieved tremendous success in restoring habitat and bolstering the number of Bog Turtles.  In a small section of southeastern New York that has been spared the large-scale urbanization that characterizes much of the region, are some of the most thriving Bog Turtle populations in the Northeast, much of which can be attributed to an interesting partnership between working farms, conservationists, and in some cases, cattle.

                                                                                                                        
W H O   W E    A R E  -

• Jason Tesauro - I began fieldwork with the Bog Turtle in 1994. Over the years I have become an expert in Bog Turtle ecology and the management      and restoration of the species' habitat.  My Master's research was on the relationship of Bog Turtles and cattle grazing.  I have served as a consultant to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service for Bog Turtle habitat restoration in New York since 2003.  I am also on the board of directors for The Wetland Trust (www.thewetlandtrust.org ), providing expert guidance on the Trust's Hudson Valley Turtle Conservation Initiative. 

• Jim Archer - As an ecological restoration contractor, my company, Country Views, Inc., has performed all aspects of bog turtle habitat restoration and management on private lands, including fence construction, prescribed cattle grazing, tree clearing, and invasive plant control since 2005. I currently graze 40 Highland Cattle on federal NRCS wetland habitat easements throughout Dutchess County, NY. www.facebook.com/COUNTRYVIEWSINC 

• Jonathan Doster -  Photographing the natural world and choreographing it to music and ambient sounds has been the focus of much of my career.
Two expeditions with Rainforest Research Teams in Costa Rica were particularly rewarding.  Travels with the camera have also led to China, Burma, Morocco, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, and throughout North America.  www.jdosterphoto.com 
I am grateful to have been invited by Jason and Jim to document the Bog Turtle saga, a project they have collaborated on since 2005.