Joining Beauchamp in leading the terrapin project are Peter McCalmont , a three-decade volunteer and one of the few men involved , and Madeleine Linck , a retired biologist who studied reptiles and amphibians in Minnesota for thirty-one years before moving to nearby Rehoboth to be close to her grandchildren . Although she had studied turtles for many years , Linck knew little about diamondback terrapins until being invited to volunteer in 2017 .
“ I like learning about new species and their life cycle , and I found it interesting that the terrapins use the estuaries . They ’ re not sea turtles , but they still use the marine environment ,” says Linck , seventy-four . “ I also liked that it was a new challenge , and I was meeting new people .”
With her scientific background , Linck is familiar with turtle research and has shared insights she has gleaned from the scientific literature , like a recommendation to install electrified fencing around the nesting area to keep predators like skunks and raccoons from digging up the eggs . She also has experience protecting nesting habitat for spiny softshell turtles in Minnesota , so it didn ’ t take long for her to fit right in among the Barrington volunteers .
“ With turtles , nesting habitat is usually in short supply because humans have overdeveloped everything ,” she says . “ The terrapins probably had a lot more choices of where to nest before we built all our homes and jetties and everything humans do . Yet despite being in a somewhat urban area , these animals are still thriving .”
The terrapins are thriving in large part due to the inspired work of Charlotte Sornborger , eighty-five , who led the Barrington terrapin project for its first thirty years . Along with McCalmont , she launched the monitoring program in 1990 soon after the terrapin population was discovered by local naturalist Doug Rayner . Sornborger was president of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust at the time — a post she held for seventeen years — and when she learned about the terrapins , she thought their presence might help the organization ’ s efforts .
“ We were trying to save some land across the cove , and the case went to Superior Court ,” she says . “ We had to have scientific evidence that the cove was important , so we decided to find out more about the turtles . I would have done anything to save land in town , so when Doug suggested doing it , I said ‘ why not ?’ Pete joined in soon after .”
A Barrington native , Sornborger had been a zoology major in college and taught science on and off while raising her family . But she didn ’ t have any particular interest in turtles . “ We were doing something positive to try to save an animal ,” she says . “ It happened to be about turtles , but it could have been anything . I didn ’ t know one thing from another when I started .”
It didn ’ t take long , however , before she became a diamondback terrapin expert . Sornborger attended terrapin conferences , consulted with scientists at Hofstra University and Wheaton College .
“ After a while , you develop a relationship with the turtles , whether you want to or not ,” Sornborger says . “ Certain individuals you get to know . One would come up to nest and I ’ d know it was turtle 275 , or whatever , because I ’ d seen them for so many years .”
Unlike the current team of nearly three dozen volunteers , Sornborger and McCalmont initially did much of the work themselves , though most years they hired a couple of interns , usually from Barrington High School .
“ The kids were a big part of it ,” she says . “ Not only could we use the help , but it was important that the local people know about the turtles .”
For thirty years , Sornborger was the face of the project – featured in news reports , meeting with DEM officials , making presentations to community groups , and responding to uncounted inquiries , always with childlike enthusiasm about the turtles she grew to love .
“ The secret to the success of the project was Charlotte ,” says McCalmont , seventy-seven , who taught at Providence Country Day School for thirty years . “ When she takes on a job , she sticks with it . Having that consistency with the project has been important .
“ She has a deep understanding and appreciation for science ,” he adds . “ She ’ s very meticulous and relentless . In that regard , she was a great partner and model for me . If you say you ’ re going to do something , you ’ ve got to be there and do it . She also has a great personality and is a great educator . She has a ton of strengths .”
But as she approached her mid-eighties , Sornborger knew it was time to pass the baton . She made plans to move to western Connecticut to be closer to her family , which meant finding new leadership for the terrapin project .
“ I ’ d been looking for somebody to take over this project for years ,” says Sornborger , who was recognized by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey with its Distinguished Naturalist Award in 2014 . “ It ’ s difficult to find people who are dedicated and willing to put in the time and effort . It ’ s a big commitment , in part because you can ’ t take any time off during the nesting season . And then Kathryn came along , and she got right into it . And then Madeleine , too .”
Sornborger feels a great sense of pride for the work she did protecting the terrapin population , but she says it wasn ’ t difficult to step down . It was time . Her last summer of working with the terrapins was in 2019 , and as she prepared to move , the town of Barrington and the conservation community gave her a celebratory send-off . She was elected to the Barrington Heritage Hall of Fame in 2020 for her leadership of the project .
On one of the coldest days of the winter , Decker wanders the snow-covered terrapin nesting site with undergraduate assistant Marisa Stevenson .
64 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2021