I got a call today from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. They said they want to talk to me about marking Snappy for identification, which I believe means I'm getting my permit!
They very rarely hand out Prohibited Species Permits for Common Snapping Turtles, I may have the only ODFW approved Chelydra serpentina in the state!
The actual application was a paper copy, so I can't post it. Below are the cover letter and attachments, if anyone is interested.
Cover Letter:
Hello Rick,
My name is Dan Feller and I am a teacher at Silver Crest School outside of Silverton. For the past five years we have kept a Common Snapping Turtle at our school. The recent newspaper articles about invasive species, particularly Snapping Turtles, spurred me to do a little research. To my dismay I found that it is illegal to possess Common Snapping Turtles in the state of Oregon! As soon as I found out I started to look into getting a permit. I have talked to ***** ****** in Clackamas and *** ******* in Salem. They were helpful and somewhat encouraging, but I do understand that the final decision is yours.
Snappy's story started in Lake Oswego. He was found as a "fifty-cent-piece-sized" hatchling in a small stream around Lake Oswego. He was given to a Molalla Elementary School teacher's assistant, who kept him in a goldfish bowl. She approached me about taking the turtle as I had a large aquarium at the school (I taught science). She mentioned that she had thought about "letting it go", so I didn't hesitate to take the turtle, even though I didn't want it.
The turtle moved with me to Silver Crest School, where I plan to work for the remainder of my teaching career (We built our house just down the road). Snappy is an extremely valuable educational tool. It is rare that a biology lesson is taught without a student relating it to Snappy. The older kids have examined his shed skin through the microscope. Students have observed and recorded his breathing patterns. Kindergardeners look forward all year to the day they reach "T" in the alphabet because they know it is going to be "Turtle Day". Our Special Ed teacher uses "Snappy Time" as a way to calm down uneasy students.
Snappy's greatest contribution to our school so far has been in the form of a civics lesson. Last year Snappy inadvertently swallowed a 1/2" x 6" piece of acrylic tubing (long story involving a broken filter). After a trip to the vet confirmed he had eaten the tube, we were forced with a dilemma. The estimate for the endoscopic surgical removal of the tubing was $ 550.00-$800.00. How could we pay for it? I sent home a letter explaining the situation. The following morning our 125 students and 12 staff brought over $800.00 in contributions, including $180.00 in change from the kids' piggy-banks! The local newspaper ran an article about how our school rallied to save our turtle. I filmed the entire procedure (including great endoscope shots of his insides) and edited it - "OPERATION: SAVE SNAPPY" was a big hit.
If granted our permit, we plan on creating an informative exhibit on the perils of invasive species centered around Snappy. The exhibit would talk about the dangers of invasive species and highlight information on invasive plants and animals here in Oregon. The creation of this exhibit would be the responsibility of the upper grades science class.
I sincerely hope that this application is approved. Snappy means a lot to our school, and you can rest assured that he would be housed in the most responsible manner. I apologize for having kept him illegally, but I want to stress that as soon as I found out his status I started trying to rectify the situation.
Thank You,
Dan Feller
Attachments - Silver Crest School application for Prohibited Species Permit
Physical Facilities
2. Both doors (exterior and interior) remain closed at all times, except when being used. The exterior door has a self-closing mechanism, the interior door has a sign reminding people to Please Keep Door Closed. The receptionist has clear view of the enclosure during open hours. The office is always staffed while the building is open. I have included a floor plan of the office.
The aquarium itself is quite secure. The 300 gallon acrylic tank is only half full (about 16 of water, 30 tall). It has relatively small cutouts in the top, covered by light fixtures. There are no branches or rock piles that the turtle could use to climb out. As an additional measure I plan to install (pending permit approval) ¼ acrylic covers with small feeding holes. I would attach these covers with stainless steel star-pattern screws for security.
Safety and Security
1. A notice will be displayed on the enclosure alongside the permit, if issued. It will read:
In Case Snappy Escapes
A. Call for a Teacher or Staff to help.
B. If you see Snappy, DON'T TOUCH HIM. Do watch him until someone comes for him.
For staff the plan will be posted in the office with other emergency procedures. It will read:
In Case of Turtle Escape
A. Contact Mr. Feller or Ms. ****** if available.
B. If neither is available, get net from behind Snappys tank. Put net over Snappy and then pull toward you, holding the front edge of net firmly against the ground. Once Snappy is in the net bag, lift the net. This should trap Snappy in a pocket of netting hanging over the front lip of the nets frame.
C. Deposit Snappy, net and all, in a large trash can.
2. Our facilities are very well protected. We have an electronic security system including perimeter alarms, a security camera, and motion sensors. The system is monitored by a security company. The one false alarm that we had brought the Sheriff to the school within 20 minutes. Our fire alarm is tested monthly and is linked directly to the Drakes Crossing Fire Station, less than ½ mile away.
6. There are no natural hazards that would compromise the security of our facilities. Being at a high altitude (1500) far from any permanent water source makes it less likely that the turtle would escape to the wild, were it to escape its enclosure and the school building.
7. We will keep a large aluminum-handled nylon net behind the turtles cage.
8. None of our staff has professional training in animal capture/restraint. Several of us have practical experience in animal husbandry, particularly Dan Feller and **** ******.
I (Dan Feller) have additional experience working with fish and reptiles. I worked for Dale ********* at the Animal House in Corvallis. Dale is the areas leading authority on exotic pets. I also have rescued a number of neglected/mistreated exotics, including a Green Iguana, a Vietnamese Box Turtle, a 2 Pangasius Catfish, and a Common Snapping Turtle (which leads to this application ). With the help of the Humane Society I adopted out the Iguana and Box Turtle. Knowing his potential size and longevity, I never considered adopting out the Snapping Turtle. I am the only one that will physically handle the turtle, and only as necessary (almost never).
Animal Collection
1. The only prohibited species we intend to house is a Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
4 & 6. As we only intend to house one specimen, we have no plans to mark the turtle unless required to do so. If required, we will have the animal microchipped by Dr. Fricke. We will keep a copy of the permit (if issued) in our fireproof records cabinet and an additional copy at the District Office on Pine Street in Silverton.
8. We have no plans to transport the turtle off premises.
They very rarely hand out Prohibited Species Permits for Common Snapping Turtles, I may have the only ODFW approved Chelydra serpentina in the state!
The actual application was a paper copy, so I can't post it. Below are the cover letter and attachments, if anyone is interested.
Cover Letter:
Hello Rick,
My name is Dan Feller and I am a teacher at Silver Crest School outside of Silverton. For the past five years we have kept a Common Snapping Turtle at our school. The recent newspaper articles about invasive species, particularly Snapping Turtles, spurred me to do a little research. To my dismay I found that it is illegal to possess Common Snapping Turtles in the state of Oregon! As soon as I found out I started to look into getting a permit. I have talked to ***** ****** in Clackamas and *** ******* in Salem. They were helpful and somewhat encouraging, but I do understand that the final decision is yours.
Snappy's story started in Lake Oswego. He was found as a "fifty-cent-piece-sized" hatchling in a small stream around Lake Oswego. He was given to a Molalla Elementary School teacher's assistant, who kept him in a goldfish bowl. She approached me about taking the turtle as I had a large aquarium at the school (I taught science). She mentioned that she had thought about "letting it go", so I didn't hesitate to take the turtle, even though I didn't want it.
The turtle moved with me to Silver Crest School, where I plan to work for the remainder of my teaching career (We built our house just down the road). Snappy is an extremely valuable educational tool. It is rare that a biology lesson is taught without a student relating it to Snappy. The older kids have examined his shed skin through the microscope. Students have observed and recorded his breathing patterns. Kindergardeners look forward all year to the day they reach "T" in the alphabet because they know it is going to be "Turtle Day". Our Special Ed teacher uses "Snappy Time" as a way to calm down uneasy students.
Snappy's greatest contribution to our school so far has been in the form of a civics lesson. Last year Snappy inadvertently swallowed a 1/2" x 6" piece of acrylic tubing (long story involving a broken filter). After a trip to the vet confirmed he had eaten the tube, we were forced with a dilemma. The estimate for the endoscopic surgical removal of the tubing was $ 550.00-$800.00. How could we pay for it? I sent home a letter explaining the situation. The following morning our 125 students and 12 staff brought over $800.00 in contributions, including $180.00 in change from the kids' piggy-banks! The local newspaper ran an article about how our school rallied to save our turtle. I filmed the entire procedure (including great endoscope shots of his insides) and edited it - "OPERATION: SAVE SNAPPY" was a big hit.
If granted our permit, we plan on creating an informative exhibit on the perils of invasive species centered around Snappy. The exhibit would talk about the dangers of invasive species and highlight information on invasive plants and animals here in Oregon. The creation of this exhibit would be the responsibility of the upper grades science class.
I sincerely hope that this application is approved. Snappy means a lot to our school, and you can rest assured that he would be housed in the most responsible manner. I apologize for having kept him illegally, but I want to stress that as soon as I found out his status I started trying to rectify the situation.
Thank You,
Dan Feller
Attachments - Silver Crest School application for Prohibited Species Permit
Physical Facilities
2. Both doors (exterior and interior) remain closed at all times, except when being used. The exterior door has a self-closing mechanism, the interior door has a sign reminding people to Please Keep Door Closed. The receptionist has clear view of the enclosure during open hours. The office is always staffed while the building is open. I have included a floor plan of the office.
The aquarium itself is quite secure. The 300 gallon acrylic tank is only half full (about 16 of water, 30 tall). It has relatively small cutouts in the top, covered by light fixtures. There are no branches or rock piles that the turtle could use to climb out. As an additional measure I plan to install (pending permit approval) ¼ acrylic covers with small feeding holes. I would attach these covers with stainless steel star-pattern screws for security.
Safety and Security
1. A notice will be displayed on the enclosure alongside the permit, if issued. It will read:
In Case Snappy Escapes
A. Call for a Teacher or Staff to help.
B. If you see Snappy, DON'T TOUCH HIM. Do watch him until someone comes for him.
For staff the plan will be posted in the office with other emergency procedures. It will read:
In Case of Turtle Escape
A. Contact Mr. Feller or Ms. ****** if available.
B. If neither is available, get net from behind Snappys tank. Put net over Snappy and then pull toward you, holding the front edge of net firmly against the ground. Once Snappy is in the net bag, lift the net. This should trap Snappy in a pocket of netting hanging over the front lip of the nets frame.
C. Deposit Snappy, net and all, in a large trash can.
2. Our facilities are very well protected. We have an electronic security system including perimeter alarms, a security camera, and motion sensors. The system is monitored by a security company. The one false alarm that we had brought the Sheriff to the school within 20 minutes. Our fire alarm is tested monthly and is linked directly to the Drakes Crossing Fire Station, less than ½ mile away.
6. There are no natural hazards that would compromise the security of our facilities. Being at a high altitude (1500) far from any permanent water source makes it less likely that the turtle would escape to the wild, were it to escape its enclosure and the school building.
7. We will keep a large aluminum-handled nylon net behind the turtles cage.
8. None of our staff has professional training in animal capture/restraint. Several of us have practical experience in animal husbandry, particularly Dan Feller and **** ******.
I (Dan Feller) have additional experience working with fish and reptiles. I worked for Dale ********* at the Animal House in Corvallis. Dale is the areas leading authority on exotic pets. I also have rescued a number of neglected/mistreated exotics, including a Green Iguana, a Vietnamese Box Turtle, a 2 Pangasius Catfish, and a Common Snapping Turtle (which leads to this application ). With the help of the Humane Society I adopted out the Iguana and Box Turtle. Knowing his potential size and longevity, I never considered adopting out the Snapping Turtle. I am the only one that will physically handle the turtle, and only as necessary (almost never).
Animal Collection
1. The only prohibited species we intend to house is a Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina.
4 & 6. As we only intend to house one specimen, we have no plans to mark the turtle unless required to do so. If required, we will have the animal microchipped by Dr. Fricke. We will keep a copy of the permit (if issued) in our fireproof records cabinet and an additional copy at the District Office on Pine Street in Silverton.
8. We have no plans to transport the turtle off premises.
