ABSTRACT

Georgian Bay, the eastern arm of Lake Huron, is home of the world's largest freshwater archipelago, a World Biosphere Reserve that contains more than 30,000 islands. Georgian Bay is unique because its convoluted shoreline has led to the development of many small coastal wetlands. The coastal zone of Georgian Bay supports six species of freshwater turtles: the spotted turtle, snapping turtle, midland painted turtle, northern map turtle, eastern musk turtle, and Blanding's turtle. A species at risk is a species facing population declines or whose habitat faces threats. Typically, this is due to human-based impacts. Landscape ecology is the study of spatial patterns and their interactions at a variety of spatial scales. Conservation strategies at the landscape scale are designed to consider a more holistic approach to managing a particular area and are generally applied at a large scale. Radio tracking allows one to locate a tagged turtle throughout the season to study movement patterns and habitat use.