Exclamation of delight and wonder abounded at the Iris Griffith Centre on April 9, as excited visitors glimpsed a rare treat - tiny turtle hatchlings, each the size of a loonie, emerging from their underground nest.
Along with the bird calls and blooming flowers, another wonderful sign of spring on the Sunshine Coast is the emergence of Western Painted Turtle hatchlings.
Turtles lay their eggs in June and the babies hatch underground in the fall, but they normally don't leave their nests until the following spring.
This particular emergence event was especially sweet as these were the first babies hatching from the new nesting beach in the Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve.
The beach was constructed in 2009 as part of ongoing restoration and habitat enhancement activities in the Reserve and turtle stewardship efforts led by the Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project. Turtles were observed laying eggs on the beach in 2010, but it was uncertain whether the eggs would successfully hatch and survive the winter.
"It was a wonderful day," said Wildlife Project leader David Stiles. "We were thrilled to see the first hatchlings emerging from this beach -indications that our habitat enhancement efforts have been successful. It was so wonderful that community members were there to witness this amazing natural event and directly participate by helping to photograph and monitor the emergence."
B.C.`s only native freshwater turtle, the Pacific Coast Western Painted Turtle is federally endangered. The Wildlife Project is asking for the community's help in locating more turtle hatchlings. For information about how to identify turtle hatchlings and nest emergence holes, visit www.coastwildlife.ca.
The Habitat Stewardship Program, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Public Conservation Assistance Fund, Vancouver Foundation and Gencon Foundation provided the funding for turtle conservation efforts on the Sunshine Coast.
-Submitted
