STEEL cages are again being used to protect turtle nests at Devilbend Natural Features Reserve, at Tuerong, near Moorooduc.
The cages are put in place each turtle breeding season by volunteer members of a citizen science group.
The reserve includes a reservoir, the largest inland water body on the Mornington Peninsula, and is home to eastern long necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis).
The nests of the carnivorous, fresh water, snake-necked turtles are covered with wire to stop them being raided by foxes.
The Crew at Daangean group citizen science project to protect the turtles has been running since 2018.
The reserve is open for picnics, fishing photography, birdwatching and non-powered watercraft.
First published in the Mornington Times – 25th July 2023
