The loss of a reproductive-aged adult to the pet trade or on the road can severely impact a population, which may consist of just a dozen or so breeding individuals. The objective of the turtle telemetry study is to determine what types of habitats individual adults use over the summer, from the time they emerge from hibernation, through courtship, mating, nesting, foraging travels, until they eventually return to overwintering sites. This information will be the foundation of a habitat model for the Blanding's turtle that can be used to identify important habitat for this species in other parts of the state. It will also indicate how much area a single adult requires, and, perhaps, the area needed to preserve an entire population. Other species that are of concern are those that rely on vernal pools for breeding.
Vernal pools are small, temporary wetlands that typically flood and dry on an annual basis.
For this reason, they provide suitable breeding sites for species that reproduce in relatively low numbers and therefore cannot sustain predation by fish. Certain amphibians, such as wood frogs and spotted, blue-spotted, Jefferson's, and marbled salamanders, are obligate vernal pool species, meaning that they require this type of wetland to breed successfully. Some of these species can be found breeding in more permanent wetlands, but they do not occur in areas where there is insufficient vernal pool habitat. Because vernal pools are often completely dry, they are usually not recognized as important wildlife habitat and may be filled in or otherwise destroyed. Uplands surrounding these pools are also extremely important, as all of the amphibians and many of the invertebrates that breed in the pools actually live in upland forests during the rest of the year.