Baby turtles released back into wild near Exeter

The ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ were palpable near Exeter this afternoon as hundreds gathered to watch 80 baby turtles be returned to the wild.

"Today we have our annual Turtle Release. We're releasing hatchlings back into the wild that we've been holding in our office as eggs for a couple months now. Now they're hatched, and then they're going back into the wild," said Nicole Audreola, turtle release co-organizer and member of the Huron Stewardship Council.

Members of Huron's Stewardship Council have spent several weeks collecting turtle eggs from the marshy areas near the Morrison Dam near Exeter, and incubating them until they hatched. Their release into the waters around the Morrison Dam attracts hundreds of families each August.

"We want to draw people here with the baby turtles, but we hope we can educate them on our native turtles in Ontario. We have eight of them and they're all species at risk," said Hope Brock, Healthy Watersheds Technician with the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, who host the Turtle Release with the Huron Stewardship Council.

The baby turtles aren't just being hatched for show, they're getting a better shot at living, say organizers.

80 baby turtles were released into the wild at the Morrison Dam near Exeter, August 29, 2024 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

"They've experienced population declines over the past. So, one thing that we do here is through incubating them, that we can actually get them through that kind of first mortality stage, like, raccoons predating them, through climate change, with the temperatures of nests and things like that," said Sheldon Paul of the Huron Stewardship Council, and one of those that gets to physically release the baby turtles.

For the past nine years, they've been holding this turtle release at ABCA headquarters near Exeter. More and more people show up as the numbers of turtles stay the same, or decline.

80 baby turtles were released into the wild at the Morrison Dam near Exeter, August 29, 2024 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Habitat loss and road mortality are the top reasons for so many turtles being species at risk in Ontario, say organizers.

"It's important not to take turtles from the wild. It's important that only people with permits are touching them, and just respecting the turtles. And hopefully we can inspire some young people or some old people to enjoy turtles," said Mackenzie Vandevenne with the Huron Stewardship Council and turtle egg collector.

"We try to save the ones that we can, but, all around, they are an important link in our ecosystem," said Brock.