Sliders in CO - Advice please
Posted: March 20th, 2012, 6:34 pm
Hello ladies, gentleman and transgendered individuals. I was hoping to get some advice on what to do about the apparent introduction and establishment of red eared sliders here in the greater Denver area.
Over the last few years my friends and i have observed a dozen or so large adults in a number of different ponds near residential areas. The concerning thing is that they are appearing very early in the year (march) so it suggests they successfully overwintered in the ponds. I have not seen or heard of any babies, or other evidence of breedings. Since they appear to be able to survive the winters and have been documented in several locations, i'm concerned they may become firmly established and start to spread.
Im not sure what impact they might have if they become widespread around here, but i thought it might be a good idea to submit some of the findings to the Division of Wildlife and let them decide what, if anything, to do about it.
Last year i wrote up a short letter that basically stated where they were found, how many and when, but never sent it out.
My question to you guys is do you think i should go ahead and submit these findings? If so, what info should i include?
I thought it might be a good idea to bring this to the attention of the "authorities", even if they don't do anything about it. To my knowledge, this species has not been noted as being introduced in the state.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Over the last few years my friends and i have observed a dozen or so large adults in a number of different ponds near residential areas. The concerning thing is that they are appearing very early in the year (march) so it suggests they successfully overwintered in the ponds. I have not seen or heard of any babies, or other evidence of breedings. Since they appear to be able to survive the winters and have been documented in several locations, i'm concerned they may become firmly established and start to spread.
Im not sure what impact they might have if they become widespread around here, but i thought it might be a good idea to submit some of the findings to the Division of Wildlife and let them decide what, if anything, to do about it.
Last year i wrote up a short letter that basically stated where they were found, how many and when, but never sent it out.
My question to you guys is do you think i should go ahead and submit these findings? If so, what info should i include?
I thought it might be a good idea to bring this to the attention of the "authorities", even if they don't do anything about it. To my knowledge, this species has not been noted as being introduced in the state.
Thanks for any suggestions.