Turtle release event returns in 2022
Seventh annual turtle release event, on Thursday, September 1, 2022, educates about turtles and habitat they need to survive
Huron Stewardship Council (HSC), in partnership with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA), is bringing back the turtle release event to return turtle hatchlings to the wild. The public is invited to the Seventh Annual Turtle Hatchling Release on Thursday, September 1, 2022 from 1 to 5 p.m. It is at Morrison Dam Conservation Area, 71108 Morrison Line, east of Exeter, Ontario. The event is free and takes place rain or shine. Organizers say donations to support Ontario turtle conservation are encouraged.
To register for the event and to select a time please go to the link below:
People attending will not be able to hold the turtles. This is to protect the animals and reduce their stress. Those attending will be able to see the turtles as they are released. Participants will also be able to visit a number of educational stations with fun learning activities.
Local conservation groups hosted the turtle release as an in-person event between 2016 and 2019. Thousands of people attended in its first four years. The popular education event reached record attendance of 1,500 people in 2019. Organizers transformed the event in 2020 and 2021 to a virtual Local Turtle Week (#LocalTurtleWeek) with photos, videos, social media posts, and at-home activities. The event returns to an in-person event in 2022.
Marcus Maddalena is Biologist and Stewardship Coordinator with the County of Huron. He said the Turtle Release Event is a great way to educate about Ontario’s freshwater turtles and the ways we can protect these important species. People can protect turtles, he said, by helping them across the road the way they are headed, driving more slowly, protecting nests from predators, enhancing turtle habitat through local tree planting and wetland restoration programs, and supporting community turtle monitoring programs.
Turtles help to control aquatic vegetation and to clean creeks and wetlands by eating algae and dead and decaying fish and other organisms. “We need to preserve and enhance our wetlands and plant native trees and shrubs and protect and grow the natural areas that sustain turtle species,” said Hope Brock, Healthy Watersheds Technician with Ausable Bayfield Conservation.
Ontario’s native freshwater turtles face many threats including habitat loss and road mortality (death by cars and other vehicles). Hundreds of turtles in Ontario are hit by cars each year in the spring, summer, and autumn. These could be gravid (pregnant) females looking for a place to lay eggs, or males and females looking for new ponds and mates. People can help turtles by creating nesting habitat on their properties, stopping to help turtles cross the road in the direction they are heading (when it is safe to do so), and working with their local municipalities and communities to erect turtle crossing signs and build safe passages. People can also arrange for transport of injured turtles to the turtle hospital. People can also act to protect, create, and enhance the natural areas that provide the habitat for turtle hatchlings to eat, drink, reproduce, and grow and become the adult turtles of tomorrow.
Turtle Hatchling Release Event is back in person
The Turtle Hatchling Release Event is back and in person.
The annual turtle release is a shared partnership between Ausable Bayfield Conservation and Huron Stewardship Council.
This free event takes place Thursday, September 1, 2022, between 1 and 5 p.m. at Morrison Dam Conservation Area east of Exeter.
Watch the release of turtle hatchling back into the wild. Learn about different reptiles, their habitats, and what you can do to help protect these important species.
Organizers invite you to come on out for conservation and fun.
Reptile merchandise is available.
All proceeds go to Ontario turtle conservation.
Register now and select a time to attend:
The Turtle Release Event is a way for people to learn about protecting Ontario’s freshwater turtles. To learn more visit the Huron Stewardship Council website and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation turtles page.
If you have questions about the event, you are invited to contact Marcus Maddalena, County of Huron Biologist and Stewardship Coordinator, at mmaddalena@huroncounty.ca
Huron Stewardship Council acknowledges support for this event from TD Friends of the Environment.
