Uncategorized

Since the beginning of human record, people have been creating artwork based on their natural surroundings. From cave paintings of wild animals to complexly rendered landscape paintings, we have explored our long and dynamic relationship with land, plants and wildlife. There seems to be no end to our revelry for the beauty of a sunset or the power of a tiger. We are connected to place often through nature and wildlife and our experiences of them.  Artistically expressing the beauty of nature gives everyone something to be see and be excited about. But could art do more for humans and wildlife than visual stimulation and celebration? How can wildlife and public art create stronger communities?

For several years, I have been painting murals across Ontario, working with communities to foster local pride with artwork that reflects local history, stories and ecology. Painting a mural is performative work. As my team and I paint, we are often (happily) interrupted by onlookers who wish to express their joy and wonder about our work. Locals pass by and want to share their stories and experiences in the neighbourhood as well as their passion for art. These exchanges should never be taken for granted. As a community comes together to share, relationships and connections are made over two commonalities: the artwork, and the place. The experience of sharing their story and watching the work evolve leads to a sense of ownership and participation that connects people to the work, deepening the connection to place and community. Public murals reach audiences beyond the art galleries and the sometimes “superior” air that accompanies “high art”. Murals are for everyone and they present messages to all who see them.

My murals aim to beautify and unite communities.  I have painted everything from folklore dragons in Chinatown, to historical stories of colonialism in Port Union. Also, I restore murals. After preparing the surface to restore a 20-year-old heritage mural, I can testify to value of a mural in a community, because as the old, peeling paint is scraped away, those passing by begin to frantically ask questions…”You’re not painting over this are you?”  “What is happening here?!” The relief when I explain otherwise, is evident and often followed by expressions of gratitude: “It’s my favourite stop on this street…I walk past it every day to work”.

Like the murals that draw people in, natural spaces also unite communities with a positive bond.  The happy spaces of the wild draw people of all walks of life. Like art, we can experience a range of emotions amidst wild spaces; from peace and tranquility to a rush of excitement. The sights and colours in the wild areas are a gateway to a deeply personal experience.  The memory of a hike includes the physical labour, the act of discovery, the time shared with others or the insight gained from the experience. Nature is enjoyed by a larger spectrum of senses than the eyes; and the memory of the experience is what ties us to a place.

Therefore, both individually and better together, art and nature can unite people by connecting them to the land, wildlife, community, and memories to create a shared sense of belonging. The key factor behind the creation of community is shared experience. Each community is unique. It is critical that people understand and celebrate their distinctiveness.

As I developed the Turtle Guardians mural in Haliburton, the positive community impacts were evident before the mural had even been completed. As people joined together over coffee and lunch at Baked and Battered, dozens of people stopped daily to talk with me about the large snapping turtle I was painting on the side of the restaurant. They shared with me their experiences with turtles, where they live, their love for wildlife and the Haliburton area. The mural was joining community members together by sharing stories and common experiences. As they watch the mural develop, and chat with me, they become a part of the process. They share a piece of the monument. Having learned a thing or two about the gentleness and vulnerability of snapping turtles, many were eager to become more involved with the turtle and habitat conservation efforts by the Turtle Guardians program of the Land Between charity. The painting had sparked the interest of nature lovers to engage further with wildlife and their local community. However, a bigger win was the consideration and new perspectives that were generated from the process and painting; individuals who previously misunderstood snapping turtles as dangerous or worthless, now saw them in their true light as iconic invaluable animals. The mural serves to illustrate and testify that wildlife and community are one in the same; that both are dependent on people working to preserve these assets.

Article and Artwork by Stacey Kinder

This past December, an Ojibwe translation of a popular childrens’ book about a young boy helping turtles safely cross a busy road has been published by the Long Point Biosphere Reserve (LPBR).  The translation was a collaboration with the Ojibwe-speaking Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, whose Treaty Lands and traditional territory include the LPBR.

Entitled “Kaa Wiika Boontaake” (“Never Give Up”), the colorful book tells the story of little Johnny’s determination to protect his friend “Snapper” and other turtles from heavy traffic.  Written and illustrated by Long Point cottager Jan Everett, the story is based on her husband John’s efforts to save turtles along the Long Point Causeway, the unofficial gateway to the LPBR.

“Recognizing the significance of the turtle in Indigenous culture, we approached the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) to help us translate the book into Anishinaabemowin, the common language of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomi peoples of the Three Fires Confederacy”, said LPBR president Rick Levick. An Ojibwe First Nation, the Mississaugas of the Credit have been allied to this Confederacy for more than 200 years.

The translation was done by James “Mawla” Shawana (Odawa/Pottawatomi from Wiikwemkoong First Nation), a language teacher at the Lloyd S. King Elementary School in the MCFN community near Hagersville, Ontario for the past 12 years.

“The Mississaugas of the Credit would like to thank the Long Point Biosphere Reserve for reaching out to our First Nation”, said Chief R. Stacey Laforme. “Our shared collaboration will allow students at the elementary school in our community to enjoy a special experience -- reading this popular children’s book in Anishinaabemowin.”

Chief Laforme added, “Collaborations such as these are small but important steps on the journey of reconciliation, miigwech (thank you).”

Since 2014, more than 3,500 English and French copies of the book have been sold with the proceeds supporting on-going maintenance of exclusion fencing and wildlife culverts that were installed along the Causeway to reduce road mortality of turtles and snakes including several Species at Risk.

“The story of Johnny and Snapper parallels the 10-year, $2.7 million effort by the Long Point community that reduced reptile deaths on the Causeway by nearly 80 per cent”, said Levick.  Details about this effort and the role of the LPBR are included in English at the end of the book.

Never Give Up was translated in 2019, the International Year of Indigenous Languages but publication was delayed due to the COVID 19 outbreak.

“We are honoured that our book "Never Give Up" can now be enjoyed in Anishinaabemowin. This truly is a book for children of all ages”, said author Jan Everett and husband John.

Plans are underway to launch the book with a virtual reading by author Jan Everett and translator James Shawana to the students of Lloyd S. King Elementary School.

The LPBR will be distributing free copies of Kaa Wiika Boontaake to other Anishinaabe communities across Ontario and offering it for sale at www.longpointbiosphere.com.

The Long Point Biosphere Reserve promotes research, monitoring, community outreach and education, partnerships, and projects that support the goals of biodiversity, conservation and sustainable communities in Norfolk County. We exchange information and work collaboratively with the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association, as well as other biosphere reserves in Canada and around the world.

The Mississaugas of the Credit are an Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) First Nation with 2,600 band members, of whom approximately 800 live on the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation near Hagersville, Ontario. For more information please visit www.mncfn.ca.

Never Give Up is now available in the Turtle Guardians online store!

Each year (well. this is only our second year) the Turtle Guardians team under the artistic leadership of Jaime Kearnan, puts together our annual calendar.  Jaime builds sets and costumes for the turtles and then goes to work designing scenes for each month of the year. It is an involved and creative process for sure! These calendars are coveted by all the kids that have attended Turtle Camp or watched Turtles at Two on our Facebook channels, or who have volunteered with us to babysit nesting turtles, monitor wetlands, or with their parents, conduct research on adopted sections of roads. The Turtle Guardian calendar is a collectible- full of fun photos and educational facts about turtles too!  Sales from the calendar go directly to support our turtle threat mitigation program: turtles take up to 60 years to replace themselves, and losses of adults and habitats can result in local extinctions in short order. Beyond nest predation, road injury or mortality are the largest threats in Ontario. But there are so many to counter;  the pet-trade, fishing bycatch or fishing accidents are also leading causes of turtle losses in Ontario. Now too, the protection for our wetlands has been significantly diminished and turtle populations are at further risk of disappearing in our lifetime. The sales of the Turtle Guardians calendar help support our strategic work to maintain populations: We install turtle tunnels and specialized fencing- The Turtle Guardians program of The Land Between has targeted potential underpass sites (areas were turtles cross the road and where we can direct them under the road through culverts) and mitigation areas (areas where we can install fencing with jump outs, signage and other solutions)- and in 2021 we will begin installing the first prototypes of affordable turtle directive fencing and are working with local road departments for solutions in areas without culverts. We create curricula for schools and train kids. adults, and communities to help turtles and in 2020 we recruited 300 new Guardian volunteers! We help turtle populations succeed by excavating nests and incubating turtles eggs (under a special permit) and releasing hatchlings back to their nest locations. These nests would otherwise be compromised from construction or road traffic. And we work with landowners to create stewardship plans for their properties including wetlands. In 2021 we will be working with municipalities to advance conservation too!

To purchase your turtle calendar and support our work- as well as decorate your walls with inspiring and fun photos, visit the online store 

Thank you for your support! Turtle-on in 2021!

You may have met her at Turtle Camp or during a tour of the Turtle HQ- Jeremiah is our skateboarding turtle! Jeremiah- who we originally thought was a boy and later discovered was not- was injured on a road when a car decided it would be safe if she went under the carriage, straddled by the tires. Alas snapping turtles cannot tuck in and hide like other turtles, and so, when they are scared, they snap in defense. Jeremiah therefore lost a part of her beak. Also she either jumped or the carriage was too low and her carapace was crushed. Because a turtles' top shell is fused to their spine (it is actually a part of their spine) Jeremiah's back legs were left paralyzed. Luckily, reptiles have remarkable healing abilities and can regrow nerve tissue. And luckily, Dr. Sue Carstairs of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, knew that Jeremiah had a strong will to live. Sue offered us the option of adopting Jer- and happily we did! After four years of physiotherapy Jeremiah began to move her back legs.  Then, at turtle camp, a lovely camper donated a skateboard, and Jer got to go for a ride three times a week to trigger "muscle memory". Another year has passed and slowly Jer's back leg movement has improved. They are far from articulated or strong, but today, for the first time that we have seen it, Jeremiah began climbing in her pond. Way to go Jeremiah!! Watch her go here!

Jer, we hope to witness you walking in our future.

Painted Turtle by Donna Greenstein

Whether you have a little one who has recently become obsessed with turtles, or have always loved the shelled slowpokes yourself (say that three times fast!), you will adore these paintings that have lovingly been rendered by Donna Greenstein. Donna came to the Turtle Guardians Headquarters earlier this season to offer these gorgeous framed watercolours in support of turtle conservation. We are so grateful to her for her kindness and generosity, and the paintings are gorgeous, it is hard to let them go....But our capacity needs to grow in order to ensure turtles benefit from preventative measures such as our turtle tunnel installations, nest protection, road ranger, and egg incubation programs, therefore, we are opening a silent online auction for these paintings of the painted terrapins! If you would like to take one of these beauties home, or desire more information on the two pieces, you can present your bid or inquiry by emailing us.

We  have set a minimum bid of $250.00 for each or $400.oo for the set.

We will keep the auction open until December 31st.

Hi there! My name is Victoria and I’m the new Digital Educational Coordinator for The Land Between. Over the next couple months, I’ll be creating turtley cool curriculum for Turtle Guardians. Ever wanted to know more information about Ontario’s turtles and where they live? How about going for a nature walk with your class and playing a game of BINGO? Can you help Tripod the Painted Turtle use math to determine how big his pool is for a pool party? Did you know that in North America there are 13 scutes on a turtle's shell, and that Indigenous Peoples link these scutes to the 13 moons each year? Do you want to create change by conducting research into the turtle species at risk in your community? Stay tuned for that and more! All Turtle Guardian curriculum will be centered around place-based and inquiry-based learning to allow students to think critically about what they’re learning and how to apply their newly gained knowledge to real life. The curriculum will also be paired with fun videos that support each lesson and a sharing platform to show off your work.

My background is in Environmental Biology and I have previously worked in a Science Museum delivering fun filled science activities, but my heart has always lied with nature. That is why I joined the Turtle Guardian team to bring fun lessons about turtles and wildlife into your classrooms and homes. You can often find me wandering through a wetland or forest looking for signs of wildlife and taking pictures. I’m particularly interested in ecosystem health and love coming across a mushroom.

I can’t wait to share with everyone the new curriculum – and just like a turtle on their birthday, you’ll be shell-ebrating all your new knowledge!

Cheers!

Turtles like to feel safe. They feel safe in warm and wet conditions. They also like to cross roads in the same general area they used the year before- most often these areas are between two wetlands or aquatic habitats. Sometimes the wetlands that border roadways need free-flowing drainage between them in order that roads do not flood, therefore, culverts are installed between them. These are the sites- where culverts exist between two wetlands- that we may be able to direct turtles safely under roads and through the culverts! This solution is called  an underpass, or as we like to call  it; a turtle tunnel.

How to direct a turtle under a tunnel?

Directing turtles is not easy, because they are intimidated by tunnels, and because they will resist moving off course at any significant distance. However, we can point to a few key design features to explain how turtle tunnels are chosen and structured. A successful design will has these basic requirements: First, the culvert has to be quite large; at least 1 metre in diameter. Also, the culvert cannot be blocked or completely flooded or too long either. This is because turtles need to see enough light at the other end to feel safe enough to go through the tunnel. Secondly,  the wetland needs to be free from interruptions such as driveways or small hills and upland areas that meet the  roads- this is because the wetlands need to be fenced off entirely and completely. Turtles will look for alternatives before going through an underground tunnel, and will look to areas that they can "jump out". Therefore, a driveway or island in the middle of a wetland or the edge of the aquatic habitat are tempting and easy alternatives for them to choose rather than going through a relatively dark tunnel. Finally, and as a precaution, fencing should be set back far enough from the road, or should be designed in such a way that it will not restrict turtles or other wildlife that find their way onto the road, from getting off the road! This simply ensures that any design failures will not result in further harm to wildlife- especially to our slow moving friends.

Choosing Wisely

This safety measure is one of the many reasons we have chosen an arch shape fence that can be installed below grade (below the level of the road), and can be backfilled so that it is flush with the area above it, or entirely invisible  and permeable to wildlife that are on the roads. Even snakes should be able to escape the pavement with these designs! The other reason we have chosen an arched or concave shape solution is because this shape is extremely strong and durable, resisting heavy loads. Finally, the arch shape at 1m diameter/width prevents even large snapping turtles from successfully climbing the barrier- and turtles are amazing climbers!
We are also experimenting with new materials! Traditional arched turtle fencing is made from a large pvc pipe and is all one long piece that requires installation. The pipe itself is expensive, and the installation requires heavy equipment and levels to set it just right, increasing the cost to at least $20/metre. This means turtle underpasses of this sort in The Land Between bioregion, with smaller wetlands, can cost at anywhere from $10,000.00 for each site alone. With over 970 potential tunnel (culvert crossing) sites on county roads in the region, the cost would be extremely high!

Our Pilot Solution in Progress

Therefore, we are innovating! We have sourced food-grade steel drums. These are durable, weldable, less expensive, and they can be put in one by one, by hand or with smaller equipment. We are going to test this design this winter to see how it fairs in snow conditions and if it stays in place with frost heave. This solution is not only less expensive for materials and installation at only $8.00/metre after painting and welding, but the design is more easy to maintain and manage, and it is a form of recycling! The difference in cost is in labour however; there is a lot of preparation that is required to get the drums/barrels ready for installation- but with great staff and volunteers, the work load is lighter and the cost can be reduced.

This fall we have been busy preparing for our pilot testing! We have assessed potential tunnel sites; designed the solution (and with engineering review); sourced materials; cut, grinded, and painted the cut drums, and recently we have been welding different parts together to make sure that the structure will be stable when installed.

Near the end of this last September, Garry Mercer Trucking generously delivered over 143, 55 Gallon steel drums from So Soya in Toronto to our work area at Highlanders Auto Body in Minden. Throughout the following weeks afterwards, our staff worked tirelessly to remove the tops and bottoms (creating a sort of steel tube), and then halved the steel "tube" vertically, creating two steel "half-pipes". These "C" shaped drums were then transported to our office in Haliburton, where we grounded the edges smooth and painted the bare metal parts to prevent rusting. The hard labor was finally done! Or so we thought...

In comes Taylor, a Turtle Hero in the form of a welder. Taylor is welding the tops and bottoms of the steel drums to the base of the "C" drums to provide a footing, and then welding a piece of rebar to the back to provide stability (see the picture above of a completed drum).

Once all of the welding has been complete, the turtle tunnels are ready to install! We hope that within the next three weeks, if the ground has not frozen, we will install them. If the design is stable and effective, it will be a new way forward for cost effective turtle passage solutions in Ontario. Stay tuned as we move this project forward. 

Creating and installing these Turtle Tunnels is hard work, and couldn't be done without the support of our amazing staff, volunteers and donors.
All donations and also proceeds from our gift shop go towards ensuring work like this continues to conserve our amazing turtles.
If you would like to volunteer to help install the tunnel, or would like to donate to help fund it's installation and more like it, please visit our website or contact us at info@turtleguardians.com 

On behalf of all turtles and animals saved through our conservation efforts, we thank you for your continued support!

We are so grateful to our amazingly talented staff, Stacey Kinder, for her time in creating a masterpiece of a mural to promote turtle conservation. The mural is on the side of the Baked and Battered cafe and eatery in Haliburton Village. The  mural is of Jeremiah, our female +70 year old skateboarding turtle who was brought to us by the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (home of the Trauma Centre) after she healed from her injuries: Jeremiah was "straddled" by a car - the vehicle driver thought she would be okay if they passed over her with their wheels on either side). But this wasn't the case. First of all, she was too tall and/or the car carriage was too log and Jeremiah's carapace (top-shell) was crushed, leaving her somewhat crippled from the damage and unable to use her back legs. And then she must have been so scared that she tried to snap- and so Jeremiah lost a chunk of her beak so that she would not be able to find food or defend herself in the wild. Every second day we put Jeremiah on her skateboard to give her practice using her legs and to promote muscle-memory- because after four years in physiotherapy she has begun moving those back legs again! Turtles are amazing because they can regrow nerve tissue. It may take many years still before she could possibly walk again. Now Jeremiah is commemorated through Stacey's amazing artwork.

Stacey Kinder is an artist and an ecologist! She has captured the image of Jeremiah in her mural- but the mural is more than simply the image of "Jer": inspired perhaps by the Aanishinabeg Creation story where North America is on a turtle's back, or perhaps too by the fact that turtles help clean water and also spread aquatic seeds so that wetlands and fish nurseries that support so much wildlife will thrive, Jeremiah has an ecosystem of native plants growing on her back.

Stacey spent the summer with us running the roads in search of turtles, to take DNA samples, measurement and help them across safely. She also excavated nests that were in danger of road mortality or predation. This was done under our Wildlife Permit. Stacey has a passion for nature and is able to communicate her heart-felt passion through art, to inspire others! Thank you Stacey for all you do for turtles and nature! And Thank you Jeremiah for sharing your life with us and leaving your mark on our hearts.

Written by Sydney Shepherd

I was not a turtle person… no, seriously. Prior to my involvement this summer with the Land Between and Turtle Guardians, my friends and family referred to me as the “Bird Girl”. Everything and anything I did revolved around birds. School projects, volunteering and spare time were all dedicated to birds – oh, and not to mention how often I wiggled fun facts and bird ID into my everyday conversations.

Becoming a bird person was easy.

Bird songs have been the soundtrack to my summers. Listening to bird songs now, I am connected to previous time and place. The elusive namesake sound of Eastern Whip-poor-wills and the unmistakable “who-cooks-for-you” hoot of the Barred Owl bring me back to starry nights camping on Georgian Bay. The abrupt morning squabble of Blue Jays never fails to connect me to groggy-eyed wake-ups in a sweaty nylon tent. This intrinsic connection to birds took over once I reached University and was able to pursue my own passions in academia.

But becoming a turtle person, was hard.

I do not have any childhood stories of turtles to share. I honestly cannot even remember a time that I might have interacted with a turtle in the wild until my later years. Without past connection with turtles, I simply brushed off their importance.

I am so grateful I was welcomed to the Road Research Team with Turtle Guardians. As a recent University Grad, I was ready to get out into the world and experience new things, even if those things were outside of my “bird niche”. Within the first few minutes of my first Road Research shift, I finally gained my turtle connection. Xavier, my team mate for the summer, and I came across a couple who were helping a turtle safely cross at a busy four-way intersection. As we approached the couple, thanking them for being a Turtle Hero, and taking the turtle from them to collect valuable scientific data (https://www.thelandbetween.ca/2020/06/tlb-gathers-2000-turtle-eggs-to-incubate/), I was able to see a Blanding’s Turtle up close. Her bright yellow throat, and almost upturned mouth made me feel the same way I do when I look at Golden Retriever Puppies. I then thought about how vulnerable that turtle was, crossing a four-way intersection with loud and large vehicles passing by. I knew, in that moment, I was becoming a turtle person.

The term “charismatic” can be used to sum up the connection experience (Skibins et al. 2013). Individuals are more likely to care about the conservation of species when we can empathize with their emotions (Skibins et al. 2013). Often, these “charismatic” species we empathize with are large mammals such as the Giant Panda, African Elephants and colourful birds (Skibins et al. 2013). In my experience, freshwater turtles have never been at the forefront of my mind as a charismatic species, but, the moment that Blanding’s Turtle was crossing that four-way intersection, I empathized with her. She became charismatic in my mind, and I hope that everyone has their connection moment with an Ontario Turtle!

If you are interested in connecting your family to turtles check out the Turtle Guardians Program Levels and become Wetland Watchers today!

References:

Skibins, Jeffrey C., et al. “Charisma and Conservation: Charismatic Megafauna’s Influence on Safari and Zoo Tourists’ pro-Conservation Behaviors.” Biodiversity and Conservation, vol. 22, no. 4, 2013, pp. 959–982., doi:10.1007/s10531-013-0462-z.