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I had thought to write about something else this morning, but my original post was pre-empted by this one as it seems more timely. Yes, this is a recycled photo from last year’s post about turtle crossings. I briefly considered using one of my photos of crushed turtles from my Ribbon of Death roadkilled animal online gallery, but thought better of it as it might be a bit of a shocker to anyone stumbling upon my blog. So, you get the “nice” turtle photo instead of the reality. As turtle photography goes, the truth of the matter is that I get a hell of a lot more opportunities to photograph dead turtles than live ones — in fact, I’d say the odds are running somewhere about 3-to-1 in favour of all of the dead turtles seen along highways.
In any case, what has prompted this post?
Last night, Matt Ellerbeck posted a notice to the NatureList (Eastern Ontario Natural History list-serve) about a recent controversy concerning turtle crossing signs. It seems that the city council of Peterborough, a small city lying west of my region, has decided that turtle crossing signs are a “bad thing” and have to go. A bit of history here. In 2001, a group of children calling themselves Kids 4 Turtles, raised $4,000 to fund the purchasing of turtle crossing signs to be placed at turtle crossing hotspots around the county. Apparently, at the time, the council applauded this initiative and agreed to erect the sign. Now, in an about face, the council has decided that replacement of missing or stolen signs is a nuisance, and that the signs somehow confuse some drivers (sounds like a pretty lame excuse to me). You can read more about the story on this page from the Peterborough Examiner.
An online petition has been set up by a member of the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, a volunteer organization that cares for and rehabilitates turtles that are frequently victims of encounters with vehicles. I signed the petition and left a comment last night, and urge those of you who care about wildlife to do the same. It just takes a few moments and the more names added to the list, the better. Perhaps the Peterborough city council members will get the message that they are making the *wrong* decision.
In reading through the comments left by others who have signed the petition, it was mentioned that the Kids 4 Turtles actually received an award from Peterborough county for doing something good for the local environment. Ironic to think that, 6 years later, the council would decide that this was an unworthy initiative and pull the signs down. It’s also interesting that one commenter also mentioned that the Toronto Zoo, which recently organized the 3-day Roads and Ecopassages Forum, during which turtle conservation was specifically addressed (click on any of the day links on this page, although Tuesday, March 20th seems to have the most presentations on turtles) – has said that it would replace stolen signs. I have yet to confirm that piece of information, but if true, one must really wonder why the council would make such a wrong-headed decision.
For those unfamiliar with the Peterborough area, it is home to 6 species of turtles, 4 of which are listed on the COSEWIC (Committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada) Species at Risk. If you read my post on turtle crossings from last year you’ll know that, when it comes to survival of species, every single creature counts, especially in the case of those turtles such as the Blandings (Emydoidea blandingi) that take many years to reach reproductive age.
Anyhow, do consider signing this petition in order to send a strong message to Peterborough city council to reconsider its ill-informed decision.
Tags: Peterborough, Kids 4 Turtles, Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, Toronto Zoo, Roads and Ecopassages Forum, Ribbon of Death, Species at Risk
