The Rio Grande Turtle & Tortoise Club was founded in January, 1998 by an Albuquerque Turtle enthusiast. She recruited other like-minded people thru a flyer she placed in local pet stores and soon the word spread. Casual meetings quickly grew to a nice-sized group of turtle lovers.

Gatherings were initially held in private homes until it became obvious that the group was getting too big for many members' homes. It was through the generosity of a local church that the club found a more permanent meeting site.

Over the years the club has established a working relationship with various local, state and federal entities while championing the cause of our shelled friends.

We have worked with the local animal shelter to design a handout encompassing the basics of box turtle care. We assist them with species identification and also provide species-specific care information.

Since we believe the key to conservation is through education, we participate in as many educational opportunities as we can. Our booths are staffed by knowledgeable volunteers and we also encourage visitors to join our group so we may also learn from their experiences. We distribute care information on various species and focus on the local chelonian population.

As word of our organization spreads, we're often asked to provide a speaker and hand-outs for a special event. We have many talented members and are fortunate in having educators in our group as well as artists. Providing a fun and informative presentation to school children, garden club groups, library events and state conservation sites is always rewarding.

Through RGTTC's rescue and adoption program we have cared for hundreds of abandoned, surrendered, sick or injured turtles. We have also found permanent homes for most of the turtles and tortoises who have come through our doors. Our dedicated volunteer foster parents are a valued and crucial group who give selflessly of their time, talent and finances. We have also been quite fortunate in reuniting a number of found turtles and tortoises with their owners.

The club has participated in the following events for 2006:

• Petal Pushers (Garden Club) - educational speaker
• NM Home & Garden Show - educational booth
• NM Reptile Expo - Raffle Table & educational information

The events we have planned for 2007:

• Designing Turtle habitat - February meeting
• NM Home & Garden Show - educational booth - April 21st & 22nd
• Herp Day at the Rio Grande Nature Center - October