Turtle Mating Season Brings Road Hazards in Michigan

There are ten different species of turtles that call Michigan home.

I'm sure you've already noticed an increase in wildlife activity as critter across Michigan begin to emerge from their wintry slumber. In my neck of the woods near Asylum Lake in Kalamazoo I'm hearing more birds, woodpeckers, and swans around the nature preserve.

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Along with this uptick in wildlife activity sadly comes an uptick in roadkill. The headless deer found on Michigan's roads were one thing, but I'm hoping I don't see many turtles that have met an untimely end this season.

According to the Michigan DNR turtle courtship begins as soon as these reptiles emerge from their hibernation and they begin preparing their nests by late spring to mid-summer-- which is practically right now!

Here's what you need to look out for as these reptiles begin to emerge from hibernation:

The Kalamazoo Nature Center shared a friendly reminder on social media that while it's ok to help our slow moving friends across the road that's about the only bit of help we should offer.

According to the Michigan DNR you can help our ten native turtle species by:

• Supporting efforts to protect turtle habitat, including purchasing a fishing license
• Enjoying turtles from afar but never taking them home as pets
• Similarly, do not buy any wild caught turtles from pet dealers
• Being alert for turtles crossing the road. If it can be done safely you can help a turtle trying to cross a road, but always move it in the direction it was heading.
• Reporting any turtle sightings to MIHerpAtlas.org to help conservationists measure changes or trends in our turtle populations.