Hatchling Turtle Release

Bob Montgomery

Photo courtesy of ABCA

About 577 people including an estimated three hundred children attended this year's annual Hatchling Turtle Release, hosted by the Huron Stewardship Council (HSC) and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority at the Morrison Dam Conservation Area at the end of August.

ABCA Conservation Specialist Tim Cumming says the turtle release event included live reptiles from Scales Nature Park, family-friendly activities, the release of turtle hatchlings back into the wild, and educational displays from many conservation partners.

Turtles help to control aquatic vegetation and to clean creeks and wetlands by eating algae and dead and decaying fish and other organisms. People can protect turtles by watching for turtles on roads when driving, helping them safely cross roads in the way they are headed, protecting nests from predators, and reporting turtle sightings to community monitoring projects. Enhancing turtle habitat is also vital.

ABCA Healthy Watersheds Technician Hope Brock says some things we can do to sustain our turtle species include planting native trees and shrubs, restore and enhance wetlands, and grow natural areas. The turtle hatchling release event has taken place since 2016 It was held as a virtual event in 2020 and 2021.

More information about the Hatchling Turtle Release can be found on the ABCA's turtles page https://www.abca.ca/community/turtles/