Living with Turtles
Native turtles
Oregon has two native species of turtles: the western pond turtle and the western painted turtle. Both are highlighted in the Oregon Conservation Strategy as species in need of help—that is, they have low or declining populations.
- Guidance for Conserving Oregon's Native Turtles including Best Management Practices (Mar 2015) (pdf)
- Pet turtles: A common source of salmonella (pdf)
- Nonnative turtles legal to possess in Oregon (pdf)
Non-native turtles
Non-native turtles compete with native turtles for basking sites and are known to introduce disease that has resulted in localized die-offs of native turtle populations. The two species Oregon biologists are concerned about are snapping turtles and red-eared sliders. Never buy or release either of these turtles in the wild. Call your local ODFW office if you have one of these species or if you see one.
Have you seen a turtle in Oregon?
Visit the following websites to volunteer and support Native Turtles of Oregon:
Call for ponds: community help needed to find turtles
ODFW racing to protect native Northwestern Pond Turtles in Oregon (YouTube)
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