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Brad Shaffer in Times of San Diego: Joint Effort to Rescue Endangered Native Pond Turtles Proves Successful

A team of biologists — including members from the U.S. Geological Survey, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, University of California, Los Angeles, Endemic Environmental Services Inc., Citrus College and San Diego Zoo Global — worked together recently to find and rescue the last remaining reproductively viable population of southwestern pond turtles in the San Gabriel Mountains. Wildlife biologists were able to locate and rescue eight southwestern pond turtles over two weeks. “This is not the first such effort, and almost certainly will not be the last,” said Brad Shaffer, UCLA distinguished professor and director of the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science.