Save the turtles

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Appalachian Corridor and MCI work with Nature Conservancy Canada in regards to understanding and identifying turtle populations, especially those that are considered at-risk. A special website has been created for citizens to participate in helping to know more about them. If you have come across a live, wounded, or dead turtle, please take the time to report it by going to https://www.carapace.ca/en/.

MCI has just reported that it will be conducting a turtle census in the Lake Memphremagog watershed from June to October of this year. They say that their objective of the campaign in conjunction with Nature Conservancy of Canada is “to identify and locate the different species of turtles found in the watershed, to help protect their natural habitat, and identify threats to their survival. More active in the spring, they can often be seen resting, sunning themselves, and feeding. They are easier to spot in June, as the females are searching for a site to lay their eggs. The most common turtles in the region are the snapping turtle and the painted turtle, but other species could also be present, such as the wood turtle. The eight species found in Quebec are under pressure due to habitat loss as well as the destruction of nesting sites. They are the snapping, painted, musk, blanded, spiny soft-shell, wood, spotted and map turtles.

More common in this region are the snapping and painted. But, the Missisquoi River North is also home to the rare wood turtle and spiney softshell turtles seen near Missisquoi Bay at the top of Lake Champlain.