Turtle Crossing Sign – New to Southend of Sudbury!
You will notice a new road sign if you are driving on Southview Drive, as you are passing between Robinson lake and Kelly lake. Essentially, these signs indicate to drivers to pay particular attention to that section of roadway for crossing turtles. In other communities, these signs do help to decrease road mortalities of turtles.
Road mortalities are one of the reasons why turtle populations are decreasing in our area. Many turtles crossing roads are females looking for a place to lay their eggs. Researchers have estimated that only 1% of all turtle eggs will survive to adulthood. Therefore, gravid (egg-laying) females are essential in maintaining turtle populations. It is the hope that drivers upon seeing these turtle crossing signs will slow down to avoid turtles or may even help a turtle cross the road. If you want tips on how to help turtles cross a road, please read one of my previous Bluecoat blogs “Why did the turtles cross the road?”
The location of the sign was determined by the Junction Creek Stewardship committee. Over the past few years, the committee was involved in turtle research and one component was to ask members of the community to report turtles seen. This particular location was deemed to be a “hot spot” when it came to turtles crossing the road. With a generous donation from Earthdancers, the Junction Creek Stewardship committee was able to purchase two signs. The Greater City of Sudbury provided the necessary equipment and manpower to install the signs. This is an example how partnerships between different community members can lead to a great environmental initiative.
