You may notice some of this fencing along the ditches of some roads in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. This fencing goes up prior to road construction, during the turtle nesting period to ensure our turtles (and other wildlife) will not be harmed during construction. Our turtle populations have been in great decline, largely due to road mortalities and nest disturbances. Majority of Ontario’s native turtle species are species at risk that are facing the threat of being endangered. Turtles are a bio-indicating species whose existence can tell us a lot about the health of the water they live in, water that we rely on. They play a very important role in maintaining the aquatic ecosystem and food web. Help us, help the turtles by leaving these fences undisturbed. Stay tuned for more on a great turtle project we are planning in order to help our turtle populations in a local, important wetland.

For more information, to report a nesting turtle or learn how you can get involved in the turtle project please contact Megan Murphy, Environmental Services Coordinator, either by calling 613-396-3424 ext. 125 or emailing environment@mbq-tmt.org.