Nature Conservancy brings back turtle spotting website

The season for turtles to lay their eggs is fast approaching and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), is promoting the second season of carapace.ca, a website for reporting turtle sightings. In so doing, the NCC hopes to make Quebecers more aware of the fate of the reptiles, which tend to venture close to roads and trails at this time of year, putting themselves in significant danger.

The carapace.ca online tool, which is accessible to everybody, serves to help identify the most dangerous roadways for the animals. “Last summer, 55 specimens were reported victims of this type of accident in Quebec, according to data gathered on the platform. Fortunately – and this is good news – more than 90 per cent of the turtles spotted were alive,” said Caroline Gagné, coordinator of the Carapace.ca program.

When spotting a turtle, the procedure is simple: take a picture, note the location, and fill out the short report form at carapace.ca. This allows the site to collect data on turtle road deaths while identifying the roads that present a high risk of collisions with vehicles. The platform also describes steps to take to help a turtle in danger on a roadway.

Last year, 500 people reported a total of 856 turtles, nearly half in the Montérégie and Outaouais regions, of five different native species. In addition, two exotic species, released into the wild by their owners, were reported. Such invaders are harmful to native species because they compete for food and habitat, among other things.

NCC not only protects turtles, but also safeguards their habitats, including riverbanks, by acquiring land, building relationships with landowners, and managing wetlands so that turtles can enjoy ideal conditions.