Northern Red-Bellied Cooters Return

Eagle Hill students help rehabilitate endangered turtles in Massachusetts.

At Eagle Hill School, students are encouraged to see beyond themselves and make a meaningful impact on the world. Among the standout opportunities available at Eagle Hill, students are invited to participate in a long-standing conservation partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife).

For more than twenty years, Eagle Hill has supported efforts to protect the endangered Northern Red-Bellied Cooter turtle through a process called headstarting. In this conservation method, vulnerable hatchlings are raised in a safe, predator-free environment until they reach a size that greatly increases their chances of survival in the wild.

Under the guidance of science teacher Mr. Andrew Ward, students in Eagle Hill’s “Zoo Crew” play a hands-on role in caring for the turtles. From feeding the turtles daily lettuce to monitoring their growth and maintaining their tanks, students develop both responsibility and ecological awareness.

A new hatchling weighing only 35 grams when it arrives straight out of the egg, will achieve a weight of more than 400 grams by the time they are released making them too large for many predators to eat.

This year’s hatchlings recently arrived on campus in Hardwick, Massachusetts, where they will remain for about nine months. During that time, the Zoo Crew will carefully track their progress with monthly measurements of weight and length. The hatchlings will increase in length 10 to 15 times their original size before they are released in May.  A new hatchling weighing only 35 grams when it arrives straight out of the egg, will achieve a weight of more than 400 grams by the time they are released making them too large for many predators to eat. From there, these resilient turtles can live upwards of fifty years and grow even larger.

Through projects like this, Eagle Hill students are encouraged to live the school’s core value of PURPOSE, engaging in meaningful work that benefits the wider community and the environment. By contributing to the survival of an endangered species, students see firsthand how their actions can create lasting, positive changes in the world.

Building on this success, Mr. Ward and the Zoo Crew will also begin rehabilitating other species, including the threatened Wood Turtle, which is native to Massachusetts. Eagle Hill is expecting the arrival of its first Wood Turtle hatchlings in the coming weeks.

By nurturing these hatchlings, Eagle Hill students are not only helping restore an endangered species but also learning what it means to be environmental stewards. This ongoing partnership exemplifies the school’s commitment to providing experiences that connect education to the wider world—and to a lifelong pursuit of purpose and meaning.