On World Turtle Day, this Kitchener educator shares why turtles are 'crucial' to nature

CBC

23-05-2025

When the sun comes out, so do the turtles — right in time for World Turtle Day.
"There's a lot that we can learn from the turtle," said Terre Chartrand, a land-based educator from the Red Osier Guild in Waterloo region.
Land-based learning is an Indigenous practice that guides a person to understand nature by applying traditional knowledge and teachings.
Chartrand says there are many interesting facts to share about the turtles living in Waterloo region.
"Turtles adapted from this massive amount of wetlands to living in these little civic ponds. To me, that illustrates the resilience of the turtle. It can go from living in the most ideal circumstances to something that is largely fed by the storm water of the city," she said.
"They're part of an ecology that makes that water more potable, more fresh, more clean. Their presence is pretty crucial in the ecology. It takes 60 years to replace a single turtle. They live to be up to 100 years old."
Significance of the turtle
Chartrand says turtles hold a special place in many Indigenous cultures across Canada.
"For both Haudenosaunee cultures and Anishinaabe cultures, the creation story involves the turtle. For us, the turtle represents the land itself. In the sacred teachings, it represents truth and resilience."
In the Anishinaabe creation story, the first woman to arrive on Earth, Sky Woman, is given a home on a great turtle's back.
"There's just a bunch of virtues that turtles have," Chartrand said.
"Sometimes if we say that someone is like a turtle, it means that they take more time. And if that time is a chosen time to take, then what are you learning because you're not rushing through life?"
Chartrand is inviting people to join her and the Red Osier Guild for a turtle walk on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Lakeside Park in Kitchener.
It's a free event. You can learn more about it by visiting the Red Osier Guild's Facebook page.
Andrew Holland is a spokesperson for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He says drivers should be mindful of turtles on the road.
"They come up to lay their eggs. They mate. They like to sunbathe... But they're not very good at looking for cars," he said.
"They'll be on sandy roadsides, they'll be along highways. It's really important to, at a bare minimum, keep a lookout for them."
He says there are eight different species of turtles in Ontario, including snapping turtles, Blanding's turtles, wood turtles and painted turtles. All of them are at risk and all of their populations have been in decline.
"The main reason is road collisions," Holland said, encouraging drivers to slow down when they see a turtle on the road.
"If you're able to pull over to the side of the road and exit your vehicle safely, great... If you can, pick up the turtle and hold it like a hamburger with both of your hands, use gloves if you can, and carry it across the road. Then place it on the side of the road across the road and back away to give it some space."
He says turtle season runs throughout the summer months, with their most active season starting in May.