Turtles taking road trips have life destination (Tom Venesky)

TIMES LEADER (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) 15 June 08 Turtles taking road trips have life destination (Tom Venesky)

Why did the turtle cross the road?
Go ahead, give it a guess.
Think of your best punch line.
But don’t worry if you’re wrong because the question isn’t a joke.
In the turtle’s case, it’s a matter of life and death.
And the threat is never higher than at this time of year.
Female aquatic turtles, such as painted and snapping turtles, cross roads frequently around this time as they travel to lay their eggs.
On the surface, it may seem like an insignificant matter. Flying down the road you spot a turtle. You do your best to avoid it, glance back in the rearview mirror to make sure you missed and continue on your way.
Chances are you won’t think of the brief encounter again.
But for the turtle, crossing a road is arduous, life-threatening work. Imagine trying to cross an airport runway with two-inch legs while planes whiz back and forth.
Last week on two separate occasions I came across painted turtles that dared take on the hard road. One was about halfway across, and I picked it up and set it safely on the other side in the direction it was headed. There was a large pond a few hundred feet way, so I surmised the turtle laid its eggs and was heading back to its aquatic home.
The second painted turtle didn’t fare as well. Like the first, it too was halfway across the two-lane road. But a blow from a tire cut its journey short.
The turtle was hit just before I drove through. I stopped and found it still alive, but its shell was shattered. I placed it off the road but doubted the turtle would make it.
There is one turtle I’ve seen for several years that scoffs at the threat posed by the road.
So far, luck has been on its side.
This particular snapping turtle not only crosses a small two-lane road that traverses its swampy home, but also lays its eggs in the loose gravel at the edge of the asphalt.
For several years I’ve seen the creature, its body half buried in gravel. Cars fly by just a few feet away, but the turtle just sits, patiently waiting to lay her eggs.
All it would take is for a careless driver to swerve slightly off the road and the turtle and its eggs would be history.
Still, it’s no surprise why the turtle chooses the site each year. The loose gravel makes for easy digging, and the heat generated by the asphalt surely helps to incubate the eggs.
Roads pose another threat to turtles that can be just as dangerous as a speeding car or truck.
Exposure.
When turtles hits the road, there is nowhere to hide. They are easy targets to be picked up, taken home, stuffed into an aquarium and called a pet.
This is a major problem with the endangered bog turtle, the smallest species in the state.
Turtles in June are one of the wildlife road hazards that I watch for throughout the year, including deer in the fall and frogs after a summer rain.
Yeah, I know there may be more important things to worry about than squashing a turtle. But if it can be avoided by just being aware, why not?
After all, there is an important reason why the turtle is crossing the road. It’s guaranteeing the future of its species.
I wonder if the chicken can say the same.
http://www.timesleader.com/sports/Turtles_taking_road_trips_have_life_destination_TOM_VENESKY_OUTDOORS_06-15-2008.html