This summer, NC’s Office of Sustainability opened a contest to name two of the many turtles that live on the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Students and employees answered the call, and the community now has names for turtles that call its wetlands home: Miki (short for Mikinaak, Ojibwe for snapping turtle) and Fern.
The easiest way to tell them apart is by their size. Miki is much younger and smaller, and her shell is mostly blemish-free. Fern is older and larger, with five small holes (scars from territorial fights) near the top of her carapace (shell) closer to her heads.
Throughout the summer, students employed by the Office of Sustainability were busy looking after the turtles themselves. Turtle monitoring has been part of NC’s annual efforts since 1997.
“Turtle monitoring was a success this year,” said Katie Bristow, Sustainability Program and Outreach Coordinator. “We always have a lot of help from employees and students who notify us when they see a turtle in an area where it might be in danger.”
Baby painted turte.
What to do if you spot a turtle hatchling
With fall around the corner, the turtles of NC are entering another important stage in their life cycle: hatching season.
Bristow says that some of the turtles will soon make their way out of the nest and into the water.
“If you’re out in the wetlands, please keep an eye out, as most of the babies are only about the size of a toonie,” she said. “If you see one and feel comfortable, just bring it to the edge of the water and it will do the rest by itself.”
Turtle monitoring is just one of the many hands-on stewardship initiatives led by NC students that protect our campus wetlands and the species that call them home.
Learn more about NC’s Turtle Monitoring program:
