Healthy Lakes and Wetlands For Tomorrow - Species at Risk

STEWARDSHIP STORIES: The Turners
Snapshots
J. Turner
L. Arsenault
P. Hope
Checking for (and fnding!)
Blanding’s Turtle hatchlings
The Turners’
grandchild Max...
...and Max the
Blanding’s Turtle!
Arlyn and Jeanette Turner live in Pleasant River
and own a Christmas tree farm. About six years
ago, they discovered that Blanding’s Turtles were
nesting near their house and on
the road of their Christmas tree
lot. They became dedicated
stewards and watch over the
nesting turtles in June,
and hatchlings in the
fall. They fondly say
that the hatchling
turtles are like their
grandchildren and
that they enjoy every
minute they spend with this fascinating species.
As a result of their committed work, they were
asked to name one of the 50 headstart Blanding’s
Turtles that were released back into the
wild in the summer of 2008. The
name they chose was Max, after
their first grandson. At nearly the
same age, Max the turtle and
Max the human will grow
and mature over the same
time period. Turtles are
considered juveniles until
they reach the age of 20
and can live 80+ years!
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