Spring is a welcome sight in the northeast, and one of the signs of the season is turtles migrating to nesting habitat. It's a good time of year to learn more about turtles and how you can help them survive. Nesting season lasts from late May to early July, reaching maximum intensity in early June.
Today, the biggest threat to turtle populations in the northeast is being struck by automobiles on roadways. Female turtles must leave the relative safety of ponds and wetlands to find appropriate nesting areas. Although some species of turtles, such as painted turtles, are still relatively common, local populations are beginning to feel the effects of development and the associated increasing level of traffic. Recent research has showed that some turtle populations near roads have proportionally more male turtles than females, compared with turtle populations where roads are few. Maintaining and improving wildlife's ability to move across a landscape of forests, wetlands, rivers and human-developed areas is a critical challenge.
Are you one of those people that stops to make sure that our little shelled friends make their trip across the road safely? If you answered "yes", then this is the mission for you.
Upload photos of the different turtles you have helped make it safely across the roadway.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP OUR TURTLES SURVIVE:
1) Slow down and watch for turtles in roadways!
2) Help turtles cross roads safely. If you see a turtle crossing a road and it is safe for you to do so, help it cross in the direction it was traveling.
3) Don't take the turtle home or move it far from where you found it. A turtle taken to your home is a turtle lost from the local population.
Mission Wall