The Burlington Parks Department wants to make sure you are sharing the road with our new reptilian neighbors while out exploring the bike path.Jaida Breck went for a walk along the Burlington bike path on Tuesday and made a new friend along the way. She found a baby snapping turtle.”They’re tiny,” said Breck. “They’re really hard to see if you’re just biking by really fast. They look like a leaf on the ground.”It is the second year in a row that their mother chose to nest right next to the bike path in front of Hula Lakeside, where Jaida works.”A couple other people biking or walking to Hula have seen the babies crossing the road,” said Breck.It is prompting the Burlington Parks Department to issue a “turtle alert.” You may have noticed signage along the trail, urging bikers to go slowly along the portion of the trail so that they are not crushed in the coming days.”Be their crossing guard,” said bike path maintenance specialist Olivia Wolf. “They just need a little bit of help. They’re scared and probably curious. Just be patient.”Their nest is at least 350 feet from the water and could be even further this year with the unusually low water levels in Lake Champlain, which will prove to be a long and perilous journey for the hatchlings.Herpetologist Jim Andrews says we are not the only threat to these guys and that they will also need to evade predators.”These nests near wetlands can build up quite an array of predators that are going to try and dig up those nests and eat those eggs,” said Andrews. Experts say you can help by reporting the movement of these turtles to the Burlington Parks Department. They say the ‘turtle alert’ will stay in effect for about a month, so keep your eyes peeled and pedal slow.
The Burlington Parks Department wants to make sure you are sharing the road with our new reptilian neighbors while out exploring the bike path.
Jaida Breck went for a walk along the Burlington bike path on Tuesday and made a new friend along the way. She found a baby snapping turtle.
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“They’re tiny,” said Breck. “They’re really hard to see if you’re just biking by really fast. They look like a leaf on the ground.”
It is the second year in a row that their mother chose to nest right next to the bike path in front of Hula Lakeside, where Jaida works.
“A couple other people biking or walking to Hula have seen the babies crossing the road,” said Breck.
It is prompting the Burlington Parks Department to issue a “turtle alert.” You may have noticed signage along the trail, urging bikers to go slowly along the portion of the trail so that they are not crushed in the coming days.
“Be their crossing guard,” said bike path maintenance specialist Olivia Wolf. “They just need a little bit of help. They’re scared and probably curious. Just be patient.”
Their nest is at least 350 feet from the water and could be even further this year with the unusually low water levels in Lake Champlain, which will prove to be a long and perilous journey for the hatchlings.
Herpetologist Jim Andrews says we are not the only threat to these guys and that they will also need to evade predators.
“These nests near wetlands can build up quite an array of predators that are going to try and dig up those nests and eat those eggs,” said Andrews.
Experts say you can help by reporting the movement of these turtles to the Burlington Parks Department. They say the ‘turtle alert’ will stay in effect for about a month, so keep your eyes peeled and pedal slow.
