WELLINGTON ‒ Local environmentalists want the county to account for turtles and other wildlife during their race to complete current and future projects.
Rare charitable research reserve (RARE) volunteer Sandy Nicholls believes a bridge at Wellington Road 32 and a wildlife crossing for Wellington Road 35 would be a good start in reducing wildlife mortality, specifically turtles.
Wildlife crossings are tunnels underneath the road that vary in size depending on what creatures are expected to cross. Turtle tunnels include small holes that allow in light which guide them through to the other side.
“I think there's just something really special about turtles – they’ve been around since the dinosaurs and I find it really fascinating that they're still here,” said Nicholls. “And that's why I think it's so important- they’re very vulnerable and we can't just wait them out, we have to do everything in our power to look after the little guy.”
Helping turtles cross the road since she was a child, Nicholls joined RARE’s vulnerable egg extraction team after becoming frustrated by the number of dead turtles she’d drive past during her former work commute along Wellington Road 35.
Limited by RARE’s three incubators, Nicholls saved 1198 eggs this year but said she could’ve easily collected 5000.
“Anywhere there are wetlands, there's going to be turtles and a lot of wildlife that is having to cross the road,” said Nicholls. “I think the more people that are educated about it, the higher the chance that they'll get out of their car, if it's safe to do so, and help the turtle across the road rather than just run it over.”
In July, local birders contacted Nicholls for solutions after two swans stood by "very busy" Wellington Road 32 for two days after their cygnet was hit by a car.
“I've gotten to know a lot of people in Wellington County and a lot of them are very pro-putting in wildlife crossings, they want their tax dollars to go there,” said Nicholls. “(The residents) understand how important it is but the powers that be are the ones that make the decisions at the end of the day.”
Nicholls' main concerns lie with her hatchlings, who she fears won't survive long enough to mate as it can take decades for a turtle to reach sexual maturity
“I try to make a difference in my own little way,” said Nicholls. “With everything that's going on climate change, it's the one thing that I have control of that I can help in my own little way so it makes me feel better.”
A driving force behind Guelph’s move to implement wildlife crossings, thanks to Nicholls' advocacy, wildlife crossings have been implemented in several key Guelph corridors like Maltby Road.
“Yes, we're growing but moving forward, we have to take into consideration how to move animals safely,” said Nicholls. “It’s an oversight and we need to start talking about it and making people understand that wildlife has a place here.”
County engineer Don Kudo said that a wildlife crossing and exclusion fencing will be implemented for the Lake Road section for Wellington Road 32 once construction is completed.
“(These measures were implemented to) help reduce reptile and amphibian mortality rates at the wetland section of the road,” said Kudo. “The passage should result in safer and greater movement for wildlife at this location.”
In addition to physical solutions, Nicholls asked for more effective signage and wildlife education to help bust various misconceptions that she thinks may prevent some passersby from taking action.
“It's really important for us to look after these animals,” said Nicholls. “We need to have a balanced ecosystem- we can't just take whatever species we want and wipe it out.”
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
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