Volunteers along coastal communities are needed by The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk to help collect data on a turtle whose population is of special concern in Connecticut, the diamondback terrapin.

The Maritime Aquarium is recruiting volunteers to train for the “Terrapin Tracker” program, a special initiative whose goal is to better understand where diamondback terrapins live and to potentially add protective measures along coastal roads. Registration is open now for a virtual training on March 29.

Populations of the terrapins in Connecticut declined across the 1900s for several reasons, including being hit by cars. The Maritime Aquarium, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Western Connecticut State University have developed the “Terrapin Tracker” program to focus on road mortality, as females cross coastal roads in search of nesting areas.

Volunteers will be assigned a coastal roadway to monitor for terrapin mortalities once a week from April through August.

Interested volunteers can sign up for a virtual training from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 29 at www.maritimeaquarium.org/community-science.