Nesting Day

June 18, a day of warm rain, is the first day local snappers really came out in force to lay.

It’s a tail of neighbors helping neighbors help turtles, and I tell you all about it soon, but I’ve spent up until right now monitoring three snapping turtles as they lay (maybe?) their eggs in Elberta and on Grace Road, and now I have to get to work or I’ll lose my job.

If you see a turtle digging a nest in the Greater Elberta area, call me! 231-399-0098. I can pass along advice from Lara Treemore-Spears, a veteran turtle ecologist and nest protector.

The raccoons and other egg eaters are watching, ready to pounce (as they unfortunately did on one Grace Rd site already today when I was—I leave you guys alone for 20 minutes! Sheesh!), so when we verify a site (meaning: it has eggs!), we’ll cover it with a special wire cage. In three to six months when the turtlets hatch, they can get out, but those nasty mid-level predators can’t get in.

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Also, tomorrow is an important council meeting (they always are, but this one involves some personnel shifts). Hope to see you there.