The Kemp’s Ridley is the most endangered species of sea turtle, and in 1970 was listed in the United States under the Endangered Species Act as endangered.
The only major breeding site for the Kemp’s Ridley is a small section of beach at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico.
They mate in mass synchronized nestings known as arribadas. This translates to ‘arrival’ in Spanish. The arribada occurs regularly between April and June.
In 1942, a Mexican architect caught an estimated 42,000 Ridleys nesting at Rancho Nuevo in one day on camera. In 1995, only 1,429 Ridley nests were laid at Rancho Nuevo.
However, things do seem to be improving for the Kemp’s Ridley as over 7,100 nests were recorded at Rancho Nuevo in 2004.
This increase can be explained by both the full protection of nesting females and their nests, and how shrimp trawls in both the U.S. and Mexico are required to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) to reduce the number of turtles getting caught in fishing nets.
The name Kemp’s Ridley comes from Richard Moore Kemp who was the first to send a specimen to Samuel Garman at Harvard, but the origins of ‘ridley’ are unknown.
Kemp’s Ridley has also been referred to as a ‘heartbreak turtle.’
In her book The Great Ridley Rescue, Pamela Phillps claims the name was coined by fishermen who witnessed the turtles dying after being turned on their backs. The fishermen believe the turtles had died of a broken heart.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
