28 - Franklin Pond & Turtles

This pond and the pond to the north of the parking area across the road have water year-round. This is a great place to view the native western pond turtle, California’s only native fresh water turtle, and the introduced red-eared slider, a non-native turtle that is often illegally released into the wild when it becomes too large to be easily cared for as a pet. During warm sunny days the two species are often seen basking on a log or at the water’s edge. The red-eared slider is a larger turtle with yellow stripes on its neck and legs and a red patch just behind the eye. The red-eared slider grows larger than the western pond turtle and is more aggressive, often pushing the pond turtle out of preferred basking and egg laying sites. In addition to turtles, these ponds are a good place to spot river otters and herons.