A dedicated group of volunteers and staff are giving at-risk turtles a helping hand at Petrie Island. “We kind of give them a jumpstart,” says Jordan-Anne Rich, a wildlife technician with Friends of Petrie Island. “All three species that we commonly see at Petrie Island; the snapping turtle, the map turtle and the painted turtle are at risk.” On Friday, baby turtles — some only 4 or 5 days old — were being released into the Ottawa River. “This year, we collected 386 eggs across 15 nests. And that’s for all three species of turtles that we see,” says Rich. Volunteers and specially trained staff find and collect turtle eggs in early in the summer. “We keep them safely in our incubator, which is at the Cumberland Public Library, which is a branch of the Ottawa Public Library. And then we release them in August.” It’s an effort to keep the turtle eggs safe to protect and support the turtle population. “The majority of the eggs would be eaten so by many predators. So, things that would eat the eggs are like raccoons, foxes, skunks, any kind of rodent,” says Rich. In late August, there are several release days, where the public is invited to take part. “A big part of our work is public education, and so, our purpose is to kind of educate people about turtle conservation and the work we do here,” says Andrea O’Halloran, president of the Friends of Petrie Island.
