Our turtles are extremely important to the environment. Turtles are an indicator species, which means their health and presence can tell us important things about the ecosystem they live in like the quality of the water and soil around them. They play a huge role in the food web by eating and controlling prey populations and providing a prey source to other predators. Not to mention, they are also a key cultural species reflected in our origin story (Turtle Island), traditions and ceremonies. Our turtles are in the peak of their nesting season which runs from May to August. All of our turtle species travel during this time to find suitable nesting habitat, meaning many are crossing roads. Vehicles are one of the largest threats to our turtles, which are all species at risk. Please safely avoid hitting turtles on the road, and if safe to do so, move them across the road in the direction they are going to help them get to their nesting site without injury! If you see an injured, at risk or nesting turtle please contact Megan at 613-396-3424 ext. 125. You can also contact the Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre at 613-354-0264 if you find an injured turtle. Nyá:wen for helping us keep our turtle populations safe! Stay tuned for more turtle updates as MBQ Environment Department implements a turtle safety project.

If you must move a turtle, please ensure you move it safely! The video below will show you how to do that: