Come out to Mountain Lake to learn about the local reintroduction of the Pacific coast’s only native freshwater turtle! The Western pond turtle is a threatened species with very little natural habitat remaining, due to development and the growing dominance of non-native turtles. We’ll hear about the benefits of reintroducing this species from Sonoma State Professor Nick Geist, a local Western pond turtle expert, who collected and cared for the pioneer population of turtles planned for release very soon into Mountain Lake.

Nick Geist is a Professor of Biology at Sonoma State University. His research focuses on the evolution of reproductive behavior of reptiles, and current research includes the reproductive biology and conservation of the western pond turtle. He is a collaborator on the North Bay Western Pond Turtle Project with the Presidio Trust and the conservation departments of the San Francisco and Oakland Zoos.

The talk will take place at the future outdoor classroom at Mountain Lake. Meet us at the 14^th Ave entrance to the Presidio (just north of 14^th Ave and Lake) at 1:45 PM and we’ll take the 5-10 minute walk together. If you’d like to walk directly to the site, follow the dotted line on the map below. The lake is close to many bus lines.

For a map to the meeting location, click here >>

SCIENCE SATURDAYS at the LAKE: An Academic Talk and Discussion Series for the Public

A lively series of talks by scientists studying topics relating to Mountain Lake and its ecological restoration. On the second Saturday of every month, gather at the lake to hear researchers from a variety of disciplines talk on topics ranging from Archaeology to Zooplankton. Here’s a chance to ask the experts your questions about the science being done to save this precious San Francisco natural wonder!