Populations of Alligator Snapping Turtles have been declining across the species’ range due to over-harvest and habitat fragmentation from the construction of dams and reservoirs. An Alligator Snapping Turtle has not been observed in the state of Kansas since the last known individual was captured in Onion Creek, a tributary of the Verdigris River, in 1991. In response to these declines, a captive breeding program was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) at a hatchery facility in Tishomingo, OK in 1999. Since then, Alligator Snapping Turtles from the hatchery have been reintroduced in Illinois, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Reintroduction stockings of roughly 1,200 juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles have occurred on the Caney, Neosho, and Verdigris Rivers in northeast Oklahoma. Establishment of the species back into Kansas waters is unlikely to happen without human intervention due to several dams that occur on each of these rivers. None of the turtles released in Oklahoma have been captured in Kansas due to these barriers. To facilitate Alligator Snapping Turtle recovery in Kansas, KDWP is partnering with researchers at Missouri State University to conduct reintroduction stockings back into Kansas waters. Juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles raised at the Tishomingo hatchery will be tagged and released back into a segment of the Neosho River. These tags will allow researchers to track the released turtles to determine how far they move. Additionally, turtles will be recaptured to determine survival and growth rates. The first release is planned for the fall of 2024 with an additional release planned for 2025.