KINDLING
Caution: Turtle Crossing Ahead
Slow and steady isn’t the best way to cross the road
It’s turtle crossing season. From April until September turtles across North America are regular commuters, crossing roads be- tween waterways and nesting sites. As the number of cars has increased, so
has the rate of turtle fatalities. Of Canada’s 15 turtles species, one is extirpated and 10 specific populations are listed as at risk. Some jurisdictions like Cavan, Ontario,
are raising awareness with signs warning motorists of areas with significant numbers of turtle crossings, while others are con- structing wildlife culverts and vertical walls along roadways to decrease animal traffic. When the measures don’t work, it’s time
to call for the medics. The Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, has veterinarians caring for shell-shocked MVA victims. Family Camping caught up with Myrtle,
a snapping turtle recently discharged from the centre:
FC: Describe your experience at the Turtle Trauma Center.
Myrtle: No one likes to go under the knife, or stapler, but the food was great. Catfish, carp, weeds, worms, all decayed to perfec- tion. I need to find a warm rock and bask in
the sun to let it all digest. FC: Why were you there?
Myrtle: A car rolled over me and crushed my shell. I ask you, what kind of driver can’t see a turtle on a road? I thought I was a goner but a human came along, took me in, stapled my shell together and fed me antibiotics.
FC: Was your family worried?
Myrtle: No kids. I’m only 40. True, I’ve laid more than 550 eggs but none have survived. A raccoon ate the first batch. A skunk got the second. The third was flood- ed. One year three hatched but a crow got one, and the others were run over on the road trying to get back to our family hiber- nation area.
FC: Are there no safe ways to get across the road?
Myrtle: Well, if you’re lucky you might stumble upon a culvert, or try to cross near a turtle crossing sign. Things would be fine if people would just slow down and watch where they are driving. I can’t fathom why people are in such a hurry. —Patricia Kerr
Slow-moving traffic ahead. PHOTO: JON BOXALL The Hunt
is Back On Parks Canada rethinks ban on geocaching
With the current dearth of treasure- hiding pirates, geocaching is the closest most people will come to be- ing Captain Jack Sparrow. A recent rethinking by Parks Canada will see national parks opened up to this growing activity. Geocachers use a GPS or a map and
compass to seek out caches—usual- ly trinkets of little value tucked into a waterproof case. The coordinates of the location have been listed on websites. The same sites rate the dif- ficulty of attaining the caches—some require physically demanding hikes and others only leisurely strolls. Geocaching isn’t new, but with the popularity of GPS units, more and more people have taken up the pur- suit. There are now more than 30,000 geocaches hidden in Canada. This popularity had Parks Canada
worried that geocaching would in- crease off-trail traffic and damage sensitive areas, so they instated a moratorium and ordered all geocach- es removed from national parks. Canada’s geocaching associations jumped to action and pointed out the benefits of their activity, which they say blends the romantic challenge of treasure hunting with modern com- puter technology. “Geocaching can be used for team-building activities or teaching navigation or outdoors safety,” says Daniel Mansfield from the Canadian Ecology Centre. “It gets people off the couch.” Apparently Parks Canada agrees. Spokesperson Julie Lefebvre says they will be releasing new geocache guidelines this July. “There are going to be changes,” says Lefebvre. “We are going to have people available to help geocaching.” —Patricia Kerr
FAMILY CAMPING 5
PHOTO: IAN MERRINGER
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