Cyclists and turtles are two common road hazards encountered in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge this time of years. We do our best to avoid the cyclists and hopefully they participate in the effort. But if not, we have insurance.  Turtles, on the other hand, seem to lack the natural defenses needed to keep them from becoming roadkill.  There they go, s-l-o-w-l-y crossing the road as they travel to their preferred nesting site. What are we to do?

Most obviously, try not to kill them.  But if you’re not in a hurry and you don’t mind communicating with nature, you can pull over and give them a hand, so to speak. First determine if it’s a snapping turtle. If you’re not sure, assume it’s a snapping turtle. Be very careful with these critters as their jaws can inflict serious damage.  If you want to err on the side of caution, do not attempt to move these.  However, you can wait patiently for it to continue its journey to the other side while you direct traffic.

If it’s not a snapper you can just lift it up by the sides of the shell and move it to the edge of the road, facing the same direction in which you found it.  Otherwise, here is a short video from the Toronto Zoo which demonstrates good turtle moving techniques (thanks to the Friends of Blackwater NWR for this link). Our refuge is home to these turtles, and we need to do our part to share the road with them. Also, cyclists.