Perhaps the most important event in wildlife-based competition happened last week: Blanding’s Bowl!

Before we recap the 13th annual edition of this competition, let me catch you up to speed on what Blanding’s Bowl is. Originally conceived by Blanding’s turtle forefather Gary Glowacki in 2013, the once simple celebratory competition between Lake County technicians has become a multi-day event attracting turtle scientists across Illinois, members of the media, and perhaps millions (estimate, citation needed) worldwide through social media. Originally held at the end of the field season, Blanding’s Bowl is now held in late June/early July, the time when the most turtles are caught per trap. Billions (not an estimate, citation = me) across the globe dream of competing in Blanding’s Bowl, but few actually get to participate. Michael Jordan has been quoted (Jordan, 2019) saying that if he was born just a few years later, he’d be a part of the ’18-’19 Blanding’s Bowl rather than the ’97-’98 Bulls lineup. Michael B Jordan has frequently stated that he gave up on his dream of competing in Blanding’s Bowl to act in movies and win Oscars or whatever. Famously, the original plot of Back to the Future 2 featuring Michael J Fox included Biff winning Blanding’s Bowl, resulting in a dystopian future where Biff controls the world with all the money from Blanding’s Bowl sponsorships/merchandise. Michael Jackson’s ghost when asked about Blanding’s Bowl simply said “Shamone!”. George Michael declined to comment. Others may have achieved fame, fortune, spiritual nirvana, but few have won a Blanding’s Bowl trophy. This is the journey, the truth, the testimony about the race to the podium at the 13th annual Blanding’s Bowl.

Snappers = -10 pts = sad 🙁

There are a few different ways to get points so let’s review! Most points come from the traps that each team sets. Each team is given 20 medium hoop traps which they can place throughout the field site to try and catch as many Blanding’s turtles as possible. Each Blanding’s is worth a baseline number of points, but additional points are awarded depending on the “value” of the capture. For instance, a completely new turtle would be worth a ton of points since the data collected is more valuable than a turtle that was caught last week. Turtles that haven’t been caught in many years or “adopted” turtles by the public can get you extra points. However, if you catch a turtle that was already caught during Blanding’s Bowl, you only receive a small pithy amount of points. Additionally, you can get points from other species caught in your traps. For instance, catching the most of a single non-target species (like green frogs or central mudminnows) gets you points. Points can also be awarded for catching painted turtles. You can receive negative penalties for catching snapping turtles though, so it is important to pick trap sites that specifically target Blanding’s turtles. Another way to gain extra points is by hand capping (i.e. catching turtles by hand). Though it is difficult to do, you can get large bonuses for catching turtles by hand, provided it is done within the preset hand capping times. Hand capping outside of these designated times results in no points, though you will still need to collect data and measurements.

Jenna and team Onions have Layers, Turtles have Layers

This year, seven teams competed to take home the ultimate trophy: Soggy Gumdrops, Better Luck Next Trap, Stay Out of Our Marsh, Onions have Layers Turtles have Layers (OHLTHL), Scute Troop, Puss in Waders, Ogreachievers. It is probably important to mention at this point that there was a Shrek theme this year in association with Dreamworks Animation (for legal purposes this is a joke). On the first day, all teams set out to place their traps. Teams like Soggy Gumdrops, Better Luck Next Trap, and Stay Out of Our Marsh started in different parts of the field site but all converged upon the same hotspot for Blanding’s turtles, resulting in many traps overlapping or “double-dipping” in the same bodies of water. Other teams like Puss in Waders, Scute Troop, or OHLTHL spread out their traps a bit more across the site. Tensions were high as the teams fought for the best trapping sites and hand caps later in the day. By the end of the day, Soggy Gumdrops pulled ahead to first with 55 points, followed  by 4 teams (Better Luck Next Trap, Stay Out of Our Marsh, OHLTHL, Scute Troop) with 30 points. Puss in Waders and Ogreachievers had no points at the time.

Blanding’s turtle!

By the second day, the rankings became more apparent. Soggy Gumdrops pulled way ahead with a spectacular 6 Blanding’s turtles, totaling 275 points. Better Luck Next Trap and Stay Out of Our Marsh were vying for 2nd place, despite having traps in similar spots. Scute Troop and Ogreachievers were fighting for 4th place, while OHLTHL and Puss in Waders had a rough day. We were joined in the field by some reporters and photographers, eager to get the latest details on this exceptionally exclusive competition. Definitely expect a documentary from the team behind The Last Dance and The History of The Eagles to hit streaming soon. Spielberg and George Lucas are in a bidding war for the movie rights as well. Michael Bay was rejected for trying to give the turtles lasers.

The third day was filled with rain and disappointment, a reminder that even the mightiest oaks must bend to the winds of nature. In a race to beat the thunderstorms and rain, many teams started early. Unfortunately, the weather left most teams so dejected they didn’t even bother hand capping. Few turtles were caught and even fewer waders remained dry. By the end of the day, Soggy Gumdrops was still in first, though followed by Stay Out of Our Marsh just 47 points behind. Better Luck Next Trap fell to 3rd place, closely followed by Ogreacheivers just 20 points behind. Puss in Waders and Scute Troop raised in the rankings above OHLTHL.

A shell-fie is required for verification of points, cheating is highly discouraged

On the final day, the race to the podium was at its most fervent. Most teams started at 7 am to try and maximize time for hand caps. Racing against time, their trails through the marsh spread further and further into hitherto unexplored reaches of the swamp. They searched and searched until their minds became inundated with just one thought: turtles. They left all worldly possessions behind as they slipped into a kind of trance. They were one with the wetland as the wetland was one with them. They laid bare at the feet of the Blanding’s turtle gods all of who they are, who they were, and who they may become. Each emerged from the marsh in some way reborn. But was it enough? The final rankings were as follows:

  1. Soggy Gumdrops
  2. Stay Out of Our Marsh
  3. Better Luck Next Trap
  4. Onions Have Layers, Turtles Have Layers
  5. Scute Troop
  6. Puss in Waders
  7. Ogreachievers

Though the podium finalists remained in largely the same spot, OHLTHL shot up to 4th place with some hand caps and extra caught Blanding’s. Unlike in prior years (citation needed), there was no in-fighting or bickering or name-calling during the awards ceremony, but rather a unifying bond between all participants in taking this journey together. Though there were definitely winners and losers, the real winner is mother Science herself for getting all this new data.

58 Blanding’s Turtles, 5 Painted Turtles, and 6 Snapping Turtles were sampled by the WEL members participating, providing the largest snapshot of Blanding’s Turtle health at a site this season. Though not scientific, the best way to learn about Blanding’s is by getting out there and experiencing them for yourself. It’s hard to truly understand these turtles without being in the water yourself looking for them. By sampling so much of our field site, we now know where to try trapping in the coming weeks and where to definitely NOT trap. Additionally, having so many turtle experts in one spot means that you can learn a lot from your teammates and other teams. In addition to turtles, we also keep track of any other parts of the ecosystem we capture, from tadpoles to grass pickerels. This means that not only do we have a great look at site-wide Blanding’s turtle abundance and health, but also amphibian, fish, and crayfish populations. It is an incredible opportunity not found much elsewhere in the world to be able to sample so much of the Blanding’s turtle population in one week. We are very fortunate to have participated in Blanding’s Bowl this year and look forward to catching even more turtles next year!