By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
During April vacation, the Walpole Public Library (WPL) welcomed representatives from the Turtle Rescue League (TRL) to teach kids and their families all about turtles and how to help save their species. This event was sponsored by The Friends of the Walpole Public Library, who continually fund events just like these for the WPL throughout the year.
Little ones packed into the Community Room of the WPL, eager to learn about and see up close some amazing turtles. Natasha Nowick, President and Director of the TRL, and Michaela Conder, Clinician and Secretary of the TRL, put on an amazing presentation of the types of turtles most commonly seen around Massachusetts, how we can better protect and save these turtles, what exactly they do at the TRL, and so much more.
Before starting their discussion, Natasha and Michaela played a short movie video depicting the different staff members that work at the TRL and all of the things they do there. By watching this video, those in attendance learned that 200 turtles are helped by the TRL each year, and 400 go through the rehabilitation process. Out of these numbers, 65% of the turtles are eventually returned back into the wild. Interestingly enough, the video further indicated that while North America has the largest turtle population, 60% of the turtles in the New England area are unfortunately going extinct.
After the video was shown, Natasha and Michaela discussed some basic turtle facts including how turtles have a beak instead of teeth, they are one of the world’s oldest living species, there are over 350 different species of them, and they are one of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals. They further explained the eleven species of turtles that we have here in Massachusetts: the snapping turtle, the painted turtle, the musk turtle, the spotted turtle, the eastern box turtle, the wood turtle, the blanding’s turtle, the diamondback terrapin turtle, the bog turtle, and the northern red-bellied cooter turtle. The last species of turtle that we see in MA is actually an invasive species that has come from Louisiana due to the pet trade and is known as the red-eared slider turtle.
Many of these turtles are either on the road to endangerment or highly endangered already. This is due to habitat destruction and the food, pet, and traditional medicine trade, even on the black market. With all of these reasons in mind, the TRL came together in order to help as many turtles as they can. They do this by conservation, education, rehabilitation, and incubation. When educating little ones and their families, they suggest conserving water, securing one’s trash, not littering, not treating one’s lawns with poisonous chemicals, and checking one’s yard before letting pets outside in order to save more turtles.
Once the presentation was drawing to a close, Natasha and Michalea took questions from the audience and showed off some cute turtles they had brought with them. Some of the turtles they brought were a snapping turtle, an eastern box turtle, and an eastern painted turtle. Children sat and stared in awe of these incredible creatures, eager to hopefully see some out in the wild themselves.
It can be said with ease that those in attendance left with a greater love and knowledge of turtles after this event. For more information about the TRL, please visit their website at www.turtlerescueleague.org.
