Author and Terrapin Meet Local Students

“Imagine finding a turtle nest in your sandbox!

Rascal visits Chaptico
The Bay Net Photos by Matthew Hardman

“When Maggie finds that a terrapin has mistakenly laid eggs in her sandbox, she becomes a “turtle sitter” to help the babies safely hatch. The curious little girl then raises the babies until they are big enough to fend for themselves in the wild and she can release them. Along the way, she learns about these unique animals and that she has made an important contribution to their survival.”

This is the premise of Jennifer Curtis’ illustrated children’s book, Turtles In My Sandbox. According to Curtis the story was inspired by the state’s headstart program in which experts gather diamondback terrapin eggs, hatch them, then provide a handful of students with an extraordinary experience that connects them directly with this at-risk resource. “However,” explained Curtis, “few terrapin eggs can be gathered and hatched each year; therefore, it simply isn’t feasible for every school to participate in this program.”

On Thursday February 22, Curtis, along with her Diamondback Terrapin “Rascal,” visited students at Dynard Elementary School in Chaptico, to give the students a chance to get close to the endangered creature and to help them learn about the importance of the environment and their impact on it. Students in grades K to 5 crowded into the school’s gymnasium to meet Curtis and her terrapin.

Curtis has toured 30 to 40 different schools in the state to give her presentation. “Rascal” was loaned to her from the University of Maryland’s Biological Institute to help contribute to her presentation.

Rascal did not grow as a normal terrapin would and that is why he is used as part of the headstart program and is being kept for research. “I take care of him at home,” Curtis told The Bay Net. “I also named him. I learned that he wasn’t very slow and that he was a bit of a rascal.”

Curtis has been involved with educating others about the turtle since September, around the time of her book’s publication. “Many kids have never seen a Diamondback Terrapin,” said Curtis, “or they are not aware of what they can do to help them.” Curtis hopes her novel, along with the website www.terrapinbook.com, will help more school children understand the state reptile and the importance of restoring its habitat. She also donates a portion of the royalties from her books to the Terrapin Institute.