The bog turtle is North America's smallest turtle, and populations persist in depleted, isolated groups from New England to Georgia. New Jersey is one of its remaining strongholds. The species is protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened with extinction, and it remains illegal to kill or damage an individual threatened or endangered animal.
The bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) is the official state reptile of New Jersey and the smallest turtle in North America, growing to only 3 to 4.5 inches in length.
Bog turtles depend on specialized wetlands. During summer heat, they require the soft muck of spring-fed fens, bogs, wet meadows, and wet pastures; in cooler weather, they need open, sunny areas for basking. Much of this habitat has already been destroyed by wetland drainage, livestock grazing, land clearing, and invasive plants that displace native vegetation. About 90 percent of the remaining habitat is privately owned, making landowner cooperation essential to the species' recovery.
For roughly half a century, the ESA's definition of "harm" has included not only directly killing or injuring protected species but also the significant modification or degradation of their critical habitat. This protection, along with federally required recovery plans, helped prevent extinction of an estimated 99 percent of threatened and endangered organisms.
Two programs have been particularly important to bog turtle conservation. Safe Harbor encourages landowners to restore and maintain habitat by guaranteeing that they will not face additional ESA restrictions if bog turtles increase on their property. Working Lands for Wildlife provides Farm Bill funding and guidance from federal biologists while protecting landowners from penalties if a turtle is accidentally killed or harmed during routine farming, forestry, or road work.
Appearance: Dark mahogany or black shell with bright, distinct yellow, orange, or red blotches on each side of the head. Listed as endangered in New Jersey (since 1973) and threatened federally under the Endangered Species Act.
New Jersey houses over 50% of the Northeast's population. They are primarily found in rural and isolated colonies across northern, central, and southwestern counties. The largest remaining populations thrive within the Wallkill and Paulinskill River Watersheds in the northwest, as well as areas in Salem County in the southwest. Most active conservation and priority sites are located in Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, and Salem counties.The ideal habitat is shallow, unpolluted, spring-fed mucky wetlands, wet meadows, and bogs with slow-moving water and open sunlight for basking.
Bog turtle diet is omnivorous, feeding on seeds, berries, worms, slugs, and small invertebrates.
If habitat is protected, they are highly resilient and long-lived, averaging 20 to 30 years, with some living past 60 years in the wild
A Threat to Bog Turtles
On September 14, 2025, the Trump administration began enforcing a rule that removes habitat degradation from the ESA's definition of "harm." The administration's Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, has described the change as "common sense." Critics argue that it effectively allows habitat essential to threatened and endangered species to be destroyed even while individual animals remain legally protected.
The National Parks Conservation Association's Bart Melton said the rule "defies common sense" and warned that it could enable mining, oil and gas drilling, logging, and development in areas critical to vulnerable species. Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles called the rule a violation of the ESA's core purpose and decades of legal precedent, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, compared removing habitat protections from the ESA to removing anti-discrimination provisions from the Civil Rights Act, arguing that it leaves the law's central protection hollow.
The administration proposed the rule on April 17, 2025, and received nearly 360,000 public comments. Although the administration has not disclosed how many opposed the proposal, an Earthjustice analysis found that approximately 99 percent of the comments were negative. The Administrative Procedure Act requires federal agencies to consider public comments and provide a rational, evidence-based explanation for their final rules; critics contend that the Trump administration has repeatedly failed to meet that requirement.
Next?
Multiple lawsuits challenging the rule are underway. If it remains in effect, habitat protection for ESA-listed species could effectively be eliminated. Existing Safe Harbor and Working Lands for Wildlife agreements could lose their incentive for landowners, and landowners could have little reason to enter new agreements. For bog turtles, whose remaining habitat is already scarce and overwhelmingly privately owned, the consequences could be especially serious.
The habitat protections must be restored so that the ESA continues to protect not only individual threatened and endangered animals but also the habitat they need to survive. The federal government must continue requiring recovery plans, supporting landowners through Safe Harbor and Working Lands for Wildlife, and providing funding and scientific guidance for habitat restoration.
The lawsuits challenging the rule will determine whether the habitat-protection change remains in effect. Protecting and restoring bog turtle wetlands will also require continued cooperation from the private landowners who control most of the species' remaining habitat.
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