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Stories in Pennsylvania

Acopian Preserve Restoration

A patchwork of farms, streams and forest harbor populations of North America's smallest turtle.

September 17, 2019 | Last updated March 11, 2024

A small brown turtle with orange cheeks and a red speckled face sits in a patch of green moss.
Bog Turtle Bog turtles are the smallest in North America. © Mike Knoerr

Acopian Preserve 

The Nature Conservancy's Acopian Preserve is the ideal habitat for one of the state’s most important populations of federally endangered bog turtles.

A small bog turtle sits next to two eggs.
Bog turtle habitat These small turtles are native to the eastern United States and prefer to live in mountain bogs, or isolated wetlands with acidic, wet soil, thick moss and deep layers of mud. © George Gress / TNC

In southeastern Pennsylvania, small, spring-fed mountain streams trickle down into the sandstone valley below. In scattered areas across the valley, the water collects to form soft, muddy wet meadows that contain clumps of grassy tussock sedges and other low-lying vegetation. This combination of natural elements, located at The Nature Conservancy's Acopian Preserve, is the ideal habitat for one of the state’s most important populations of federally endangered bog turtle.

The Acopian Preserve is not open to the public due to the fragile nature of the habitat. However, interested conservationists may view the preserve during a volunteer workday.

Studies conducted at the Acopian Preserve have revealed the existence of a 62-year-old bog turtle, and several other turtles that are 50+ years old. These are the oldest bog turtles known to exist in the wild.

Prior to becoming a TNC preserve, this patchwork of lands garnered interest from scientists when farming practices began to replace traditional grazing that once supressed trees and other vegetation that provided ideal conditions for bog turtles. In response, TNC acquired the property in 1989 and secured a conservation easement on 1.2 acres in 2000.

Over the years, TNC has implemented prescribed burns, cleared trees, returned grazing to the landscape with cattle and goats, and conducted annual surveys and a radio telemetry study that documented bog turtle locations, hibernation, travel patterns and habitat use within the preserve. Turtles residing in the preserve have been tagged with small, computerized chips to help with tracking, monitoring and managing populations throughout their life cycle.

Three white eggs sit in mud.
Bog turtle eggs Bog turtle eggs and hatchlings are incredibly vulnerable to predation. © Sydney Bezanson/TNC

Stream Restoration

In 2017 TNC began stream restoration work at Acopian in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Statewide Habitat Improvement and Fisheries Management Grant Program provided funding for this project that was completed in 2018.

A wide stream cuts through a degraded channel. The stream banks and are and unstable. Short green grass covers the banks.
A wide stream flows between banks covered with tall green grass and blooming wildflowers.
Standing water pools in the many depressions of a wide muddy channel created by a backhoe.
A wide stream gently meanders between green grass banks dotted with blooming yellow wildflowers.
A large muddy construction area where a new stream bed will flow. A yellow earthmover is visible at the left. Logs and a large pile of rocks sit together on the right, waiting for placement.
A wide stream bends and curves into the distance between gently sloping banks covered in tall grass and blooming wildflowers.
A stream curves between tall, bare earth banks. Matting is laid over the banks to prevent erosion. A man wearing a hardhat stands on one bank. A yellow backhoe sits on the bank behind him.
A stream bends and meanders between restored banks. The ground is covered in straw that protects newly planted seeds. In the foreground a shallow depression is filled with brown water.
A section of stream begins to take shape in the middle of a muddy construction area. In the background a man wearing an orange hard hat stand in ankle deep water. A yellow backhoe sits on the bank.
A wide stream gently curves away out of sight between sloping banks covered with tall green grass.
A wide stream cuts through a degraded channel. The stream banks and are and unstable. Short green grass covers the banks.

Stream Restoration: Before : Conditions before the Acopian stream restoration project. The original channel was degraded and eroding. © George C. Gress / TNC

A wide stream flows between banks covered with tall green grass and blooming wildflowers.

Stream Restoration: After: Section of stream on PA's Acopian Preserve one year after completion of a project to restore the degraded channel and create new habitat. © Su Fanok / TNC

Standing water pools in the many depressions of a wide muddy channel created by a backhoe.

Acopian Restoration: A new stream was created at Acopian Preserve based on natural channel design. © George C. Gress / TNC

A wide stream gently meanders between green grass banks dotted with blooming yellow wildflowers.

Healthy Stream: Three years after restoration, water flows along a section of stream built following natural channel design. © George C. Gress / TNC

A large muddy construction area where a new stream bed will flow. A yellow earthmover is visible at the left. Logs and a large pile of rocks sit together on the right, waiting for placement.

Stabilizing Banks: Natural materials were used to stabilize stream banks and provide aquatic habitat. © George C. Gress

A wide stream bends and curves into the distance between gently sloping banks covered in tall grass and blooming wildflowers.

Natural Meander: A restored section of stream at Acopian Preserve meanders between restored banks and blooming wildflowers. © George C. Gress / TNC

A stream curves between tall, bare earth banks. Matting is laid over the banks to prevent erosion. A man wearing a hardhat stands on one bank. A yellow backhoe sits on the bank behind him.

Erosion Control: Matting was installed along the restored stream banks to minimize erosion. © George C. Gress / TNC

A stream bends and meanders between restored banks. The ground is covered in straw that protects newly planted seeds. In the foreground a shallow depression is filled with brown water.

Creating Habitat: Seeded areas along the restored stream channel were covered with straw to enhance germination. Wet depressions provide habitat for amphibians. © George C. Gress / TNC

A section of stream begins to take shape in the middle of a muddy construction area. In the background a man wearing an orange hard hat stand in ankle deep water. A yellow backhoe sits on the bank.

Stream Restoration: Natural materials were used to stabilize the banks and provide aquatic habitat. © George C. Gress / TNC

A wide stream gently curves away out of sight between sloping banks covered with tall green grass.

Stream Restoration: After: The restored stream at Acopian Preserve provides enhanced habitat for small fish, aquatic invertebrates and amphibians. © George C. Gress / TNC

Take a Closer Look

A small bog turtle pokes its head out from its shell.

Bog Turtle

At 4.5 inches long, the bog turtle is North America's smallest turtle. TNC researchers have been studying this federally threatened turtle since 1969. See what they've learned.

A young girl wearing a pink top and blue skirt balances on a fallen log in the middle of a sun dappled forest.

TNC's Public Preserves

Explore the lands and waters you help us protect. Find a public preserve near you.

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This Land is Your Land: Celebrating Our Public Lands

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