Have you ever seen a diamondback terrapin?

Even though the diamondback terrapin is our state reptile, you may have never seen this handsome little turtle swimming through the brackish waters of our Chesapeake and its tributaries. If you've seen one in the wild, consider yourself lucky.

Though I grew up in Maryland, the closest I ever got to this turtle was when I was a student at the University of Maryland. There, before each test, I'd stop by the famous bronze statue of the terrapin Testudo, U of M's official mascot, to rub his shiny nose for good luck. (It worked!)

When I learned about the fate of this intelligent and tough species, and the remarkable work of some of the plucky experts and students trying to save it, I leaped at the chance to write about it.

Since I've been a reporter and freelance writer for years, I have learned to love the complex researching of issues—especially those that pertain to animals in need of help—and then going "on-site" to see the problem for myself and learn what the experts are saying and doing to come up with solutions.

I wrote Turtles in My Sandbox as a compilation of stories that I'd heard, the terrapins that I'd seen, and the experts from whom I'd learned, like the retired Army Colonel who had created a private turtle preserve where the terrapins could lay their eggs without being disturbed. He delighted in telling me about the "gigantic zippers" that the females left after wriggling their bodies out of the water and over the sand. Then, there was 10-year-old, Scout, who headstarted two hatchlings she had named for her best friends. She giggled with sheer delight when she talked about how fast her turtles would run through the grass and expressed sadness at releasing them. But, she'd clearly learned an important lesson - she knew the turtles were supposed to be in the wild; and, she was glad she could help them grow, then let them go.

Hopefully, Turtles in My Sandbox and this website will help you learn a lesson like that. I hope you think about these wonderful reptiles and consider ways you can help them and the other animals in your own backyard.

If you come up with ideas, let me know! I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by!
Jennifer Keats Curtis