Thacher Students enrolled in Mr. Hattori's Field Biology and Conservation class have been tasked with assisting the Turtle Conservancy on their mission to discover more about Southern California's only native turtle: the Southwestern Pond Turtle. 

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Using Thacher's Patton's Cabin in the Sespe Wilderness, the class was able to set up a field station to conduct research and visual surveys on the turtle.

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As a capstone for the class, students researched and proposed their own conservation projects that align with conservation efforts for turtles. While some students elected to work directly with turtles at the Turtle Conservancy, most focused on efforts to conserve and share information about the Southwestern Pond Turtle.