Project gives turtles a better chance to live

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Making a safe space for baby turtles outside the Second Wedge Brewing Co. Photo by John Cavers

A drop-in do-it-yourself project was set up in front of The Second Wedge Brewing Co. on Saturday, with people encouraged to help build safety screens for turtle nesting areas.

Led by Christine McKenzie and her husband, Chris, the safety screen building session hoped to produce about 25 of the screens. The screens are a square of two-by-fours, with small openings at the bottom to allow baby turtles to leave the space when they are able. The top is covered with heavy-duty mesh to prevent predators from reaching the young turtles. Once the screens are placed over nesting areas, they are secured to the ground with large spikes.

McKenzie said RONA provided all the materials free of charge.

McKenzie, who is chair of the Township’s Environment and Sustainability Advisory Committee, has already set out some of the screens, but said there are plenty more needed. She said she often sees broken turtle shells when she is driving around, noting many turtles lay their eggs in shallow nests on the side of roads.

Among those turning out to help build the screens were councillors Pam Beach and Gord Shreeve, the 1st Uxbridge Scouts and North Durham Nature.

For McKenzie, working with turtles is not a far stretch from a previous job she had: training alligators! She said she trained alligators when she worked as a zookeeper at the Toronto Zoo.

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