Part of the reason, I believe, is a lack of awareness about turtle conservation. All eight of Canada\u2019s freshwater turtle specie are At-risk, making turtles one of the most endangered groups of animals in the country. But if you ask someone to list species at risk in Canada, freshwater turtles are unlikely to make the list.<\/p>\n Most people understand that collecting and incubating turtle eggs<\/a> helps to decrease nest predation from predators such as racoons. They also understand the importance of looking for live Blanding\u2019s Turtles (our focus species) in wetlands to provide legal habitat protection.<\/p>\n It\u2019s well-established that road mortality is a major cause of freshwater turtle decline in Ontario. We are trying to establish where turtles commonly cross roads (areas are known as hotspots<\/a>) in eastern Ontario. With that information, we can inform municipalities of specific road sections that require preventative measures to reduce roadkill.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re marking areas that need turtle crossing signs?\u201d is the usual assumption. Fences \u2013<\/strong> but not just any fence will work. Fences must meet four criteria to be effective.<\/p>\n Yes, turtles can climb. Yes, they will try. Yes, it looks ridiculous. This is why the fences need to be built in a fashion and using materials that discourages climbing.<\/p>\n Although turtles in Ontario are mostly adapted to life in water, they are surprisingly fond of digging. Sure, they\u2019re unlikely to dig down more than a few inches, but that\u2019s often enough space to squeeze under a fence that isn\u2019t buried into the ground. Furthermore, turtles are persistent creatures. A little dirt is not going to deter them.<\/p>\n Turtles are persistent and they have plenty of time. If they can\u2019t go over or under a fence, they\u2019ll go around it. This doesn\u2019t mean we have to box in every potential turtle habitat; it just means that fences must be fairly long and the ends should curve away from the road to force turtles to turn around.<\/p>\n Certain turtle species must inhabit specific wetlands at specific times of the year. This means turtles still need a safe way to cross the road \u2013 this can be as simple as a drainage culvert that already exists at the location, or a special wildlife crossing structure installed under the road. Without a safe place to cross, turtles can be trapped in an area that doesn\u2019t cater to their needs year-round.<\/p>\n Ideally, any section of road labelled a \u201cmortality hotspot\u201d would receive mitigation measures. Sadly, this is not the case. But CWF and other like-minded organizations are working toward improvements.<\/p>\n In the meantime, you can help prevent road mortality:<\/p>\n![\"Excavated](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Excavated-Snapping-Turtle-Eggs-in-Field-1100x1956.jpg\")
How Does CWF Help Freshwater Turtles?<\/h3>\n
What’s the Purpose of Road Surveys?<\/h4>\n
Road Signs<\/h4>\n
![\"Turtle](\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Turtle-Crossing-sign.jpg\")
\nWell, yes and no. Turtle crossing signs are one possible preventative measure. However, we looked at the effectiveness of turtle crossing signs over the past two years and found little change in road mortality after the signs were installed.
\nSimilar studies have been performed with other types of animal crossing signs. Unfortunately, the data indicates that generally signs are not very effective. Drivers rapidly become accustomed to the warning signs and begin ignoring them soon after they are installed.<\/p>\nWhat Mitigation Measures Do<\/em> Work?<\/h3>\n
1. The fence can\u2019t be climbable<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. The fence can\u2019t be tunnelled under<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. The fence can\u2019t be avoidable<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. There has to be an alternate way to cross the road<\/strong><\/h4>\n
What Can You Do?<\/h3>\n
\n
Learn more about how you can help turtles<\/a> at the Canadian Wildlife Federation.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"