OUR MISSION & STORY

OUR MISSION & STORY

OUR MISSION 

Think Turtle Conservation Initiative (TTCI), founded in 2018, is an award-winning volunteer group engaged in education initiatives and species recovery efforts in North Hastings, Ontario, and neighboring communities. The community's active involvement, along with evidence-based information and data, supports TTCI's mission. Working with community leaders, organizational representatives, and concerned citizens, TTCI drives change and builds partnerships to protect Ontario's turtles from the threat of extinction, making each member an integral part of the initiative's success.   

OUR STORY BEGINS

Although Think Turtle was founded in 2018, the advocacy efforts that contributed to its inception began in 2016 when Toronto resident Kelly Wallace got to spend time in Bancroft. While there, she launched an awareness campaign to gain support for terminating the legalized hunting of snapping turtles in Ontario. During this period, Kelly met a diverse group in the community, ranging from people supporting ending the snapping turtle hunt to people who did not support ending the hunt and people who had no idea snapping turtles were on the game list. These interactions made an impression and contributed to helping the collective efforts of many concerned citizens throughout Ontario garner a favorable outcome regarding the snapping turtle hunt. It was a long-awaited day when, on March 31, 2017, the Ministry of Resources and Forestry (MNRF) officially announced the snapping Turtle had been removed from the game list and that the snapping turtle hunt in Ontario had been terminated!  

On April 1, 2017, the day after the MNRF officially terminated the snapping turtle hunt, Kelly, now residing in Bancroft, decided to pursue further efforts to conserve and protect turtles locally and provincially. This mission started with addressing the need for turtle awareness signs at various locations in Bancroft and neighboring communities frequented by turtle road crossings.  

Since many of these concerning locations were within provincial jurisdiction, Kelly was referred to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and worked with the mitigation lead for the Eastern Region MTO. Realizing it would take more than the turtle sightings of one person to support the need for turtle awareness signs, Kelly reached out to Bancroft and neighboring communities in hopes of connecting with concerned citizens who would contribute to their turtle sightings. Kelly distributed posters and put notices in the local newspapers asking people to get in touch regarding any documented turtle sightings (alive/dead/injured) they had in the area. 97.7 Moose FM, the Bancroft Times, and Bancroft This Week newspapers joined in and were a significant help in getting the word out during this time. 

The campaign for turtle sightings aimed at identifying hot spots of high-risk turtle road mortality in Bancroft and the surrounding area was full steam ahead. The goal was to submit the collected data to the MTO to validate it for approval for the MTO financing and installing official turtle awareness road signs. Along with signage, there was the hope that the data could contribute to the installation of permanent mitigation measures at any of the documented road mortality hot spots included in the data submitted on October 2, 2017.  

This all-encompassing community collaboration was beneficial in compiling the data required by the MTO and MNRF to substantiate the need for turtle awareness road signs. From the data compiled and submitted, MTO installed regulatory turtle awareness road signs along Highway 62 between Bancroft and Madoc 2018 before turtle nesting season commenced mid-May. In 2020, this same data would contribute to installing two mitigation sites along Highway 62 south of Bancroft, enabling turtles and other small wildlife in the area to safely travel through culverts under the roads instead of on them. These mitigation sites include wildlife fencing installed with pre-existing culverts to direct turtles and other wildlife through the culvert effectively. This enables turtles and other wildlife to travel under the road rather than on the road where they are at risk of being struck by a motor vehicle. 

During the 2017 turtle sightings campaign, Kelly connected with many people and sensed community interest in knowing more about how they could help the turtles they observed during their travels and on their property. Surprisingly, many people in the community did not realize that Ontario had a turtle hospital. After submitting the turtle sightings data and reports to the MTO, Kelly decided it was time to pursue education initiatives, starting with organizing turtle talks, a turtle festival to introduce the community to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, setting up local events to increase awareness and put turtles on peoples radar. Once this course was decided upon, the time had come to put these conservation efforts under one umbrella. So, in February 2018, the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative was founded.   

To kick off turtle season with a celebration and increase awareness, Think Turtle teamed up with Knittervention to surprise the town of Bancroft on May 18 with a turtle-themed 'Yarn Bomb!' This unique approach to raising awareness went viral and made a lasting impression, significantly increasing the community's awareness of turtle conservation. The main street, storefronts, and town signs were adorned with over '200' crocheted and knitted turtles of every size, shape, and color, creating a memorable sight for all who ventured into Bancroft. The turtles were on display for the week to celebrate 'World Turtle Day' on May 23,  leaving a lasting impact on the community's understanding of turtle conservation. 

Since 2018, the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative has been working tirelessly to raise awareness and engage in conservation efforts to help turtles locally and provincially. These efforts, supported by the community and the dedication of volunteers, have led to significant achievements. Together, we have made a difference and helped the eight turtle species native to Ontario maintain their earthly presence. These achievements are a testament to the power of collective action and should inspire us to continue our support for turtle conservation.