No rare turtles found at site of future school; work to resume

In this June 9, 1999, file photo, a Blanding's turtle is about to cross a road at Weaver Dunes near Kellogg, Minn. (Jeff Dankert/The Winona Daily News via AP)

The search for a rare breed of turtle has come up empty.

For about three months, a consultant hired by the Waterloo Region District School Board was surveying an area around Lackner Boulevard and Fairway Road in Kitchener – the future site of a new elementary school – for any sign of the Blanding’s turtle.

There had never been any confirmed sightings of the turtle in the area, but one possible sighting in 2014 was enough to raise concern.

The site of the future Chicopee Hills Public School, at Lackner Boulevard and Fairway Road in Kitchener, is pictured on Thursday, April 28, 2016.

After 12 weeks of work, the consultant did not find any trace of the rare turtle, meaning grading work can resume in the area protected during the search.

“Grading on the north portion of the site is mostly complete and the school pad will soon be ready for construction to begin,” a report to WRDSB trustees read.

The new school, known as Chicopee Hills Public School, is expected to be ready for September 2017.

In Ontario, the Blanding’s turtle is listed as a threatened species.