WESTPORT — Hoping to help the diamondback turtle — and the ecosystem at large — a Western Connecticut State University master’s student came to town Sunday for some terrapin collections.
John Arnett, who is working on a master’s thesis in integrative biological diversity, is looking into the impact of roadway mortality for the creatures, which he said live in great number in the Deadman Brook tributary between The Westport Library and Imperial Avenue parking lot.
Nesting season starts in a week or so, he said, and the intention is to do two more visits, including tagging the animals with the help of WCSU student Michael Tambascio.
The study is taking place at nine sites along the Connecticut coast.
“This really is such an important species of turtle,” Arnett said. “The more we know about it, the better.”
“They’re so important to the ecosystem,” he said.
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