In addition, Jim Engel of OES attended and discussed OES's position and 

 recommendations. Dr. Dodd was invited but did not attend. 



The studies commenced in winter 197 8-1979 with a predator-removal 

 experiment (Christiansen and Gallaway, 1984). The surveys and population 

 and taxonomic field studies were conducted during the spring and summer of 

 m9 Analysis and reporting of data commenced in fall with some aspects 

 being completed in November 1979, and the balance being °°;Pl^^f ^" 

 January 1980 in time for the public meetings on the proposal. OES was 

 kept advised as to the findings of the study by progress reports submitted 

 every two weeks throughout the field studies, ^^''ther, results of all 

 J^ogram findings to date were presented to the Louisa Ecological Advisory 

 Committee (including a USFWS representative) at a 7 January 1980 meeting 

 by presentation of a draft report which included certain conclusions but 

 not all the supporting data (qualified in this regard at the meeting). 



Historically- the Illinois mud turtle had been documented to occur at 

 13 localities. Our surveys documented 13 localities at «hich mud turtles 

 were still present (not necessarily the same sites)-three sites in Iowa 

 Tight in Illinois and two in Missouri (Bickham et al.. 1984). One of the 

 !after Sites contains the second largest PoP-l^t'^^^fT'n/Tound' site 

 ioo turtles based on continuing studies. The Big Sand Mound site 

 definitely contains over 1000 mud turtles, probably twice to three times 

 thit number. None of these findings, known to OES ^^-^^J^^^^^^f^^Zl; 

 appeared to influence the proposal in any way «^^'^.^\^°"f^^'f/^f "'fggl^ 

 provided no evidence of a marked decline in range (Bickham et ^^^ [l^ 

 or in the population at Big Sand Mound, as had been claimed in the status 

 report. 



Results of our taxonomic studies indicated that the di«J"n°^ 

 populations of mud turtles in Iowa, Illinois and ^^-X":L^:s I'^LeZet 

 genetically distinct to the point of representing a s^^^P^if^^ ("°"^^^ ^' 

 al., 1982). This has been confirmed by Berry and Berry (1984). 



Based upon all of the above findings (all well-documented by hard 

 data) and the' commitment of the respective States and private industries 

 fo protect mud turtle populations and their ^-\\\-^^-/,%P,^;P°:,^'/:: 



the region by local and state activities. 



CONTROVERSY AND MISUNDERSTANDING 

 Dodd (1982) stated that few proposed listings generated such 

 opposition Ttll proposal to list the Illinois mud turtl -^-^-^ftt 

 aSd that the opposition stem-^/X rt^"'B-rowfrnTMolf(m9)' status 



