Volunteers work to rescue endangered baby turtles at Colonel Sam Smith Park.
Spring must be here as training has begun for volunteers to protect and monitor endangered baby turtles at Colonel Sam Smith and other parks.
The Friends of Sam Smith Park (FSSP) are training volunteers this month on protecting the baby turtles which make their way from nesting locations to a nearby wetland pond to feed and grow.
The hatchlings are eaten by predators as they make their way from wire protected nesting locations to the pond.
The group has joined forces with the Indigenous led Turtle Protectors of High Park to form Turtle Protectors – Sam Smith Park.
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Ontario has about eight endangered species of turtles like this Snapping turtle above.
We started our own programme protecting and monitoring Snapping Turtle nests in Sam Smith in 2023,” FSSP said on its website.
“We were successful in safely helping nearly a hundred hatchlings on their perilous journey to the water in the wetland pond – good news for this species at risk!”
Training sessions for volunteers will continue on April 13 and 20 at the park.
The turtle hatchlings are usually eaten by predators as they leave their protective nests for a small pond.
The turtle volunteers are taught how to respond to turtle nesting calls; install a nest protector; nesting site locations; some turtle behaviours and life cycle.
Ontario’s at risk turtle species are the Blanding’s turtle, eastern musk turtle, painted turtle, northern map turtle, snapping turtle, spiny softshell, spotted turtle and the eastern box turtle.
The hatchlings are preyed upon while trying to reach water sources by otters, minks, raccoons, foxes, skunks and opossums.