Skip to main content

‘Tis the Season


I don’t quite know what’s happening, but my social media feed has been filling up with turtles recently. And, once I started seeing them, they appeared to be multiplying. I think it all began with this post from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Wildlife and Heritage Service:

Why did the turtle cross the road? To breed on the other side! Right now, our local turtles are looking for love and are laying eggs. Give them a brake and help them across the road if it is safe to do so.
Photo by Janet Kerr

Then, a mere hours later, this Tweet from Ellicott City:

Why did the turtle cross the road? We have no idea! But this heroic lady got this turtle to safety during our run today.

Photo by J. Givens

And this, from Scott Kramer in Columbia:

25 lb. Snapper heading North on South Entrance Road this morning. Thank you to the driver who carried it the the other side to continue its journey.

Photo by Scott Kramer


I’ve heard plenty over the years about folks who assist hatching sea turtles as they make their way into the water, but, until this weekend, I was woefully ignorant about our local turtles. No more. I now know that this is, in fact, “turtle season” and you should keep an eye out for them. From the Maryland DNR Website:

If you need to help a turtle cross the road, check for traffic and move the turtle in the direction it was traveling, until it is safely out of vehicle lanes. Do not move the turtle to the side it started from or far away from where it is found. 

Once I started along a basic research path on “turtle season” I discovered The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre’s instructional videos on how to help a turtle cross the road. There are two: one for snapping turtles, and one for all other turtles. Yes, I know Ontario is hardly local but these folks love their turtles. You could spend a long time learning from them and not get bored. (Ask me how I know.)

As I scanned social media for other local turtle sightings I found one from Baltimore that was so earnest and eloquent that I had to share it here.

Recently someone flipped me off for moving a turtle out of traffic. I’m still annoyed about it. I know life is particularly hard right now but who gets mad about helping a TURTLE? Turtles are the most neutral, mind-their-business animal around, can we just be nice to them??

Maybe it’s time to order some of these helpful bumper stickers from the folks in Ontario.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more