Alvin R. Breisch1 and James T. Eckler2

John Behler found and marked the first bog turtle at Bog Brook in 1974. Over the next several years he marked numerous bog, spotted and wood turtles. He was also able to map their nesting area and hibernacula without the aid of telemetry or GPS units. When New York State announced a program to protect ecologically important areas, John championed the purchase of Bog Brook as a State Unique Area. In 1981 this site became the first area purchased by New York to protect a reptile. In 1984, we began a study with John using radio telemetry to better understand seasonal activity cycles and habitat use by the bog turtles. In addition to monitoring the movements of three male and nine female bog turtles for five years, we experimented with prescribed burns to reduce the impact of purple loosestrife and Phragmites that had invaded the site. Significant observations include extensive use of an open canopy red maple swamp for hibernation and summer foraging by several bog turtles, use of a common nesting for all female bog turtles in an area less than 100 square meters within the four hectare wet meadow, long term use of communal hibernation sites shared with spotted turtles, and movements by bog turtles as far as 750 meters during a single year.
John L. Behler Tribute Session, Oral

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