Help Save the Box Turtles!

In North Carolina, Spring tends to arrive in mid to late February. Some of the trees start to bloom. The daffodils pop up, the birds start singing their hearts out. But, the biggest sign for me that tells me it’s spring is when the herps (reptiles & amphibians) start showing up. We’re eagerly awaiting the turtles to come up from brumation. They’ve spent the entire winter underground, conserving as much energy as possible. As they slowly wake up from their deep slumber, they too will be on the move. Searching for food, searching for mates, and searching for new hiding places.

I encourage you to be on the lookout for wildlife. Take a moment to step outside and look at the beautiful world around you. If necessary, take a trip to a local park. You don’t have to go far to find our wild neighbors. Sometimes, it just takes a bit of awareness to notice them. Our wildlife has had to adapt to living so closely to us, and we need to also adapt to living closely to them. Piedmont Wildlife Center is constantly educating people on how to coexist with wildlife. Our wildlife ambassadors teach how easy it is to help conserve the wildlife, and how even the misunderstood critters won’t hurt you if you respect them. I’ve never met a person that said “ew” or acted scared when I showed them a box turtle. These guys are lucky in the fact that people think they’re charismatic. However, this has also led to their decline. It seems whether you’re a charismatic or misunderstood critter, you’re at risk in the natural world.

So, I ask you, as a supporter of this project, how can you help raise awareness and teach others about coexisting with wildlife? If you hear your neighbor’s child, Judy, bringing a box turtle inside their home and exclaiming "I can't wait to take care of Boxie!", what would you do? Well, we know that judging and getting angry with people isn’t the way to get people to change their behaviors. One great thing about our program, Turtle Trekkers, is that we can encourage folks to become involved in protecting Box Turtles. We know that Judy loves box turtles, but her human instincts are doing more harm than good. If we teach Judy about Turtle Trekkers, she can learn to not only interact with the turtle and have a special moment with it, but she can also protect them for future generations. Remember that just like us, you can help spread awareness and help conserve our wild neighbors. And it all starts with just stepping outside and looking around. Happy Spring!

Links:

• Turtle Trekkers