A crop of dedicated Turtle Trackers new and old are preparing to volunteer across 10 lakes in the City of Cockburn for the imminent 2026-27 turtle nesting season.
The 2025-26 nesting season was distinguished by volunteers clocking up 2,815 tracking hours, the highest of any community or local government turtle tracking team working within the Saving Our Snake-Necked Turtle (SOSNT) program in WA.
With six Turtle Info Pop Ups and four Turtle Tracker (TT) Training Sessions throughout July and August in Cockburn, the City’s Sustainability and Climate Change Team continues to help recruit and train volunteers in readiness for the official onset of the tracking season on 1 September.
This year the City is coordinating a collaborative trial with the Wetlands Conservation Society and Walliabup Wildlife Warriors, who will lead TT volunteers at Bibra Lake.
The City will coordinate volunteer teams at the remaining lakes, including Tapper Lake in Atwell which will be added to the program for the first time this year.
City of Cockburn Environmental Education Officer Vicky Hartill said it was humbling to see strong ongoing community support for the City’s population of near-threatened Southwestern Snake-Necked Turtles.
“Across a record number of hours during the 2025-26 nesting season, a team of 96 active volunteers, protected 358 nests,” Mrs Hartill said.
“We began tracking our nesting turtles eight years ago and in that time our volunteers have protected 835 nests which is a valiant effort.
“Beginning at Bibra Lake, we gradually expanded to Manning Park, and then Cockburn’s other lakes where nesting females routinely leave the water in search of the right soil to lay their eggs each September to January.
“It’s been gratifying to witness the community come on board with us over the years with interest growing as we all band together to try to ensure our turtles can access safe habitats to help support this vulnerable population.
“This season we are looking forward to partnering with resident, friend and community groups to strengthen and expand local turtle tracking teams and will continue to work with WA Wildlife and The Wetlands Centre Cockburn to offer conservation and education programs.”
City of Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett said an outstanding characteristic of Cockburn was its volunteers.
“Cockburn is fortunate to have passionate volunteers and our Turtle Trackers are doing valuable work for a vulnerable species that our community holds dear,” Mayor Howlett said.
“I commend them for their service on behalf of our environment and the wildlife that calls it home.”
In July and August more than 120 people attended the City’s six info pop-ups and about 80 have so far registered for TT training sessions.
This year Turtle Trackers will volunteer at the following Cockburn lakes:
- Bibra Lake
- Boodjar Mooliny, Lake Coogee
- Eco Lake, Atwell
- Harmony Lake, Atwell
- Jubilee Park, Success
- Little Rush Lake, Yangebup
- Manning Lake, Hamilton Hill
- Market Garden Swamp, Spearwood
- Tapper Lake, Atwell
- Yangebup Lake, Yangebup
Turtle Tracker training sessions will be held on 9, 12 and 16 August. For more details visit the events page on the City’s
website.
For more details about the Southwestern Snake-Necked Turtle, visit the
Turtles page on the City’s website.