Turtle Survival

I heard about TSA from Scott Pfaff, the
reptile curator at Riverbanks Zoo and Theresa
Stratmann, a reptile department volunteer. We
were very excited when we learned of the Turtle
Survival Center being built so close to Columbia!
I started making trips to the Center to volunteer
whenever I could and I want to continue helping.
It has been gratifying to watch it grow! I
attended my first TSA conference just a couple of
years ago, but I plan on making it a habit.
What is your most memorable encounter
with a turtle in the wild?
My most memorable encounter with wild
turtles was helping Theresa with her bog turtle
surveys in the mountains of Georgia. I tagged
along on a few occasions to help check traps and
got to experience the fun of finding turtles and
being immersed in their habitat (sometimes immersed
to the point of being stuck!). I also helped
with the collection and transport of traps at the
end of the survey and gained huge respect for the
rigors of field work.
BETH WALTON
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Occupation: University of South Florida,
School of Geosciences as an Instructor of
Geospatial Technologies, Spatial Analysis and
Ecological Niche Modeling
How did you first learn about the TSA?
My affiliation with the TSA began in 2006
when I contacted Chuck Schaffer about presenting
at the Annual Conference. While all of the
speaker slots were already filled, he said I could
present a poster of my master’s research. I happened
to attend another conference early that
summer and bumped into Chuck. We were both
presenting posters, but as this was the first time
I had ever presented, I took it literally when the
guidelines said I would have an 8 x 4 foot poster
board to hang my poster on and had a poster
made that was large enough to cover it from end
to end. I told Chuck I would get a smaller poster
printed for the TSA meeting, and he said, “No, go
ahead and bring it!” As it turned out, I won the
TSA student poster contest! Chuck always said it
was because of the enormous poster size.
What do you enjoy about being a member
of the TSA?
That first TSA meeting turned out to be one
of the best and most influential conferences I’ve
ever attended. I can’t tell you how wonderful it
was to become part of the TSA “family” of fellow
chelonian researchers that shared my passion for
turtle conservation. Over the years I’ve had the
pleasure of meeting some remarkable people and
I’ve seen phenomenal research, amazing strides
made in conservation planning, and I’ve had opportunities
to collaborate with fellow researchers.
I leave the conference each year filled with
new ideas, my spirit fed, and my soul invigorated
with new possibilities.
Have you ever tried to educate others
about turtles and turtle conservation?
As a professor of geoscience technologies, I
take advantage of every opportunity to create
teaching moments to demonstrate the plight
of turtle species on a global, regional, and local
basis. I’ve been able to introduce my students
to spatial analysis using turtles as subjects for
tracking, home range analyses, ecological niche
modeling, field studies, density analyses, and
habitat preferences. These students have presented
at a number of academic and professional
conferences and will be lifelong ambassadors for
turtle conservation.
What are some of your hobbies?
When I’m not teaching, I enjoy reading,
kayaking, and fishing and anyone who knows me,
knows I love geocaching (a high-tech scavenger
hunt using GPS units). I live in Tampa with my
husband, Al, and our two Pomeranians, Mistee
and Sandee.
a publication of the turtle survival alliance 61 visit us online at www.turtlesurvival.org