From community science to conservation action, John Ball Zoo and its partners are using volunteer-collected data to help protect Michigan’s freshwater turtles from road mortality.
A collaborative conservation project led by John Ball Zoo, Grand Valley State University and regional partners is turning years of community science into tangible action to help protect freshwater turtles from road mortality.
The new crossing features a six-foot-by-seven-foot box culvert designed to accommodate wildlife movement, along with fencing extending several hundred feet on either side of the road. The fence helps turtles find their way to the culvert and keeps them from crossing the road. A second culvert was installed to facilitate wildlife passage, separate from the site’s water-management needs.
The project, which began in 2023, focuses on one of the leading threats to North American freshwater turtles: vehicle collisions. Through John Ball Zoo’s Great Lakes Rare Turtle Program, volunteers have helped document turtle road mortality across west and south-west Michigan, providing valuable data to identify areas where conservation interventions could make a difference.
At the site, an aging, partially collapsed 18-inch metal culvert provided the only passage beneath the road for turtles and other wildlife moving between adjacent wetlands. Without a suitable crossing, turtles attempting to move between habitats often had to travel over the road, putting them at risk of being struck by vehicles.
The community science project was developed by John Ball Zoo’s Travis Kurtz in collaboration with Dr. Eric McCluskey of Grand Valley State University (GVSU), whose research focuses on landscape ecology, turtle movement, and Blanding’s turtles. Together, the team established a survey area within approximately 50 miles of Grand Rapids, identifying potential road-crossing locations based on nearby wetland characteristics and historical records of Blanding’s and spotted turtles.
McCluskey evaluates potential sites to determine where turtles are most likely to cross roads, and John Ball Zoo’s conservation team visits potential sites to determine if volunteers can safely conduct surveys. Community scientists then begin documenting turtle mortality at selected locations, building a growing dataset to help guide conservation decisions.
Today, the project includes 32 active monitoring sites and 733 total observations. One stretch of M-43 in Barry County stood out, accounting for 151 observations. The high number of reported turtle deaths along this section of road highlighted an opportunity to address a significant wildlife safety concern.
When plans moved forward to replace the culvert, the project team saw an opportunity to apply its research and recommend a wildlife-friendly design. Working with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Barry County Drain Commission, GVSU and GEI Consultants, the team helped inform a solution that incorporated wildlife movement into the infrastructure project.
“This project shows what’s possible when community members, researchers and conservation partners work together,” said Travis Kurtz, Community Science Coordinator. “The data collected by our volunteers helped identify a critical location for turtles and created an opportunity to make a meaningful change. Community science is not just helping us understand the challenges turtles face; it is helping us take action to address them.”
The Great Lakes Rare Turtle Program is one of John Ball Zoo’s four key local conservation pillars. Through this initiative, the Zoo works to protect vulnerable turtle species and their habitats while engaging the community in conservation efforts.
Volunteers have played a significant role in the M-43 project, collecting the observations that helped researchers identify a high-mortality location and informing a solution. Their work illustrates how community science can create a direct connection between local observations, scientific research, and on-the-ground conservation outcomes.
