A diamondback terrapin                 
                      Photo credit: Cortland College

The Rahway River is the largest river in Union County, New Jersey, and the largest river flowing to the Arthur Kill shared by New York and New Jersey.  The lower stretch of the Rahway River contains several hundred acres of the best estuarine, marsh habitat remaining in the region.  Living here are several species of fauna found nowhere else in the area, but population levels are precariously low.  One of these officially designated Threatened or Special Concern species is the Diamondback Terrapin.
 
Virrazzi said the project aims "to survey Diamondback Terrapins, summarize field data and make pragmatic recommendations concerning the long term conservation of the terrapins on the Rahway River, inclusive of its feeder creeks.  The survey's main objective will be to identify problems and propose concise solutions for improving the population's chances of long term viability."

There is increasing pressure to bisect this wetland area with another unnecessary road project.  By studying the diamondback terrapin, the study hopes to protect this highly threatened habitat and all of its resident flora and fauna.
 
For more information about the study and NBP, click here or contact Fred Virrazzi at NationalBiodiversityParks@comcast.net.  You can visit the NBP website here.