and reduce mortality rates on reptile species and reducing the impacts of development by building systems to help turtles and not hinder them and make sure that development is survival savvy.”
In June, any nesting females found were documented. The nest was subsequently dug up and the eggs collected after the turtle had vacated the area. The eggs were brought to Kozmik and her team. They received a total of 29 clutches of eggs, which numbered more than 400 eggs. Eight clutches were of Blanding’s turtles, an endangered species, and those were raised for a month before going to the Toronto Zoo to be further raised and then released in Rouge National Urban Park. There were also snapping, painted and map turtle eggs gathered.
The rest of the eggs were hatched, raised and released back near their nest site in late August. Each nest site was marked by GPS and the turtles were released within 200 to 400-metres from their original site.
“These hatchlings are a success for everyone involved,” Kozmik said. “The main goal was nest survival.”
With this being the first year of the project, data will be collected and analysed to make further enhancements in the future.
“We are all excited about this project and the future for it,” Kozmik said. “We will do more research and get more information and make more plans. There is a lot of potential to help turtles. Turtles have a less than one percent chance of survival.”