One slow step for turtle …

It's easy to understand why Dan Thompson may be suffering from a slight case of empty nest syndrome.

The DuPage County Forest Preserve District ecologist said goodbye to 24 baby Blanding's turtles Monday.

Sitting in a canoe, Thompson gently placed each wriggling 3-inch turtle into the waters of a marsh in western DuPage and watched them swim away.

"I don't want them to linger. I want them to find cover," he said.

That's because Blanding's turtles are a threatened species in Illinois.

Predators such as minks and raccoons feed on them, urban sprawl is increasingly destroying wetland habitats, and some people illegally collect the turtles, known for their striking gold markings.

The turtles, which can live as long as 70 years, don't begin breeding until their teens. Ecologists noticed in the 1990s that older generations of Blanding's turtles outnumbered younger ones.

To counteract that trend, district naturalists began tracking turtle births in 1996 and eventually started attaching transmitters to females.

When they're ready to start laying eggs, which usually happens in June, staff naturalists take the turtles to Willowbrook Wildlife Center. The eggs are placed in an incubator and the adults are released.

The successful birth rate has increased to 95 percent, from 50 percent to 60 percent.

Staff members also say they have the ability to affect what sex the turtles will be by controlling the temperature of the incubator. Warmer temperatures produce more females, so the district is hatching out one-third males and two-thirds females, which increases the chances for breeding.

The hatchlings are reared at Willowbrook until they turn 1. Then they spend a second year at the Wheaton Park District's Cosley Zoo before their release into the wild.

Why such time and effort over a reptile?

"Blanding's turtles occurred here naturally before humans started changing the balance of things," Thompson said. "All species serve a purpose; each species is quite unique. Some we'll never get back."

Thompson released the turtles into the water rather than on the land, to mask any scent.

He called this "a soft release," meaning it's a safer environment for the young reptiles with winter approaching than in spring, when predators are more active.

"Within a couple of weeks, they'll be looking for a hibernation spot," he said.

Held in two bins, the young turtles were uncharacteristically lively, clambering over each other in a effort to escape. Holding one of the squirming youngsters, Thompson offered a few tips.

"If you see a turtle out there crossing the road, don't pick it up and take it somewhere else," he said. "While you might think you know of a better place, the best thing to do is help it across the road in the direction it's trying to cross."

And should you know anyone with a Blanding's turtle, alert the authorities because it's illegal to own one.

The McHenry County Conservation District also has a Blanding's program.

Ideally, Thompson would like to expand the DuPage initiative with expert volunteers, such as graduate students, who could work on the "million-dollar question" -- figuring out the Blanding's turtle population.

Not everyone would enjoy spending a rainy morning fighting off mosquitoes in a wetlands with only turtles for company.

Thompson, however, believes in his mission, explaining, "It's about trying to maintain the most diversity and integrity and health of a given ecosystem."