Third Level Assessment– Aquatic and Riparian Habitat
Rapid Geomorphic Assessments
Wood Turtles are frequently encountered within the Pollett while conducting field work, and in many ways the locations where they have been seen is more a reflection of where FFHR does field work in the river than the result of years of surveys on the scale that yielded locations for salmon, striped bass, and eels.
That said, from 2014 to 2016 the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA) carried out Wood Turtle surveys across the Petitcodiac watershed, and in the process documented numerous Wood Turtles within the Pollett. Unfortunately none of this data can be displayed publicly here due to concerns about the poaching of these animals.
These sites are all in the lower portion of the basin, well below Elgin. Wood turtles are terrestrial turtles that require forest cover, clean water courses, and access to gravel or sand for nesting. Disturbance caused by failing riverbanks appears to create gravel bar habitat favorable to Wood Turtles, prompting concern about impacts of bank stabilization projects on Wood Turtles in nearby habitat.