Earlier this year, the turtle nest Protector event organized by the RARE charitable eco-centre in Cambridge hosted an event to raise awareness for the declining Blend- ing turtle population in Ontario, caused by environment-induced threats such as predators and human construction.
Habitat fragmentation and road mortality are taking a toll on the adult turtle population, resulting in The RARE Turtle project started in 2017, when the organization took turtle nests from unsafe environments and incubated the eggs before releasing the hatchlings back into their habitat.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization started making turtle nest protectors, habitats which are created from four wood- en planks with mesh holding them together.
According to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, eight turtle species are currently endangered or threatened across the province. These include the blandingโs turtle, eastern musk turtle, northern map turtle, painted turtle, snapping turtle, spiny softshell turtle, spotted turtle, and wood turtle.
The nest protectors are to protect unprotected turtle nests from potential environmental-induced threats, which include predators and humans, said Michelle McMillian, an educator at the RARE charitable research reserve.
Turtles require a long, warm season to reproduce, and south-western Ontario has the most diversity and concentration of amphibians and reptiles across Canada. But the area also has a large human population connect- ed by a network of roads and land manipulation. As turtle populations become threatened by predators and human activity, McMillian stresses how critical it is to figure out a way to protect the species as they lose their habitat. Further, populations are especially at-risk during nesting season as they tend to travel and turtle eggs do not have protection against predators, such as raccoons and external human threats such as construction.
โWe need to figure out ways to give them a chance to learn how to survive in the wild without the constant impending danger of their surroundings,โ McMillan said, elaborating on how turtles are in immediate threat after their birth and require time and maturation to adapt to their surroundings.
One of the turtles currently at risk in Ontario is the spotted turtle. The species became classified as endangered in 2015 by the enacted Endangered Species Act, 2007. Another invasive species of turtles that the protectors are for is the Blending Turtle eggs. The adult Blanding turtle population suffers the most threat due to its high mortality rate on roads and freeways.
Due to the concerning rates, the Blanding turtle population will decrease significantly over the next three generations, decreasing from 25,000 to under 5,000 as estimated in a study by David C Seburn and Kari Gunson for the Government of Canada.
Nature reserves across Ontario continue their effort to protect the natural habitats and domestic species residing across the province. The turtle nest protector event hosted by the reserves is there to encourage individuals to participate in the preservation of endangered animals across the province.