"Juvenile Blanding's Turtles Released to Restored Wetland"

Oxalis

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Some good news I wanted to post—18 endangered Michigan turtles, Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), have been released into a restored wetland area north of Detroit. Good news, but if you check out the first article, someone didn't research what a Blanding's turtle looks like and posted a photo of a Sulcata with the article. That just demonstrates the level of ignorance about chelonians in both the media and the public; and when they don't do their research, they only further that ignorance. When sharing the article with me, my husband let me know he emailed them about their error and sent them a link to information on and actual photos of the Blanding's. But do feel free to school the media on your knowledge of tortoises as well. Hence why I decided not to work in journalism.

From the article: "More than 29,000 turtles, frogs, salamanders, lizards and snakes have been rescued and relocated from the project area during construction, according to Jackson-based Consumers Energy."

And for the gardening nerds: "A special mix of seeds also have been planted to restore more than 550 acres of wild and wetland areas where the pipeline was buried to create new habitat for butterflies, bees and other pollinators."

"Juvenile Blanding’s turtles released to restored wetland"

"Michigan utility releases 12 juvenile turtles into habitat"

Screenshot 2021-06-21 155614.jpg
 

wellington

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Doesn't surprise me on their ignorance, specially from that side of MI, ugh.
However I'm glad they are doing something to replenish the animals they destroyed years ago with their great idea of treating the state with bug killer. All kinds of wildlife was lost.
Thanks for the good news and the laugh.
 

Oxalis

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Doesn't surprise me on their ignorance, specially from that side of MI, ugh.
However I'm glad they are doing something to replenish the animals they destroyed years ago with their great idea of treating the state with bug killer. All kinds of wildlife was lost.
Thanks for the good news and the laugh.
Not only that, a massive amount of wetlands have been removed since Europeans have settled in the area. People are just trained to think wetlands are dirty and useless. Sigh. ?
 

Jan A

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Not only that, a massive amount of wetlands have been removed since Europeans have settled in the area. People are just trained to think wetlands are dirty and useless. Sigh. ?
It's different in the West, especially areas hard hit by draught. Developers have to preserve wetlands on their land, build around them or dedicate other suitable land for replacing wetlands. That would be about the only thing good about land development in the West.
 

Tom

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Don't know how effective that will all be, but I like the effort.
 

Jan A

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Don't know how effective that will all be, but I like the effort.
It made for some nice trail runs & walks. I even found a wetlands area within a large housing division with 3 foot carp last summer. But the huge over-development along the Front Range is being done with no plans as to where the water is going to come from. So you're right, wetlands could go by the wayside.
 

Oxalis

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According to a Scientific American 2008 article:

"Across the U.S. and Canada, the vast majority of wetlands—about 85 percent—have been destroyed in the name of agricultural expansion. Other major factors include road building, residential development, and the building of large facilities like shopping malls, factories, airports and, ironically, reservoirs."

The information in this article should be incorporated into our elementary school history studies, in my opinion.
 

Jan A

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According to a Scientific American 2008 article:

"Across the U.S. and Canada, the vast majority of wetlands—about 85 percent—have been destroyed in the name of agricultural expansion. Other major factors include road building, residential development, and the building of large facilities like shopping malls, factories, airports and, ironically, reservoirs."

The information in this article should be incorporated into our elementary school history studies, in my opinion.
I've been on both sides of this issue. I've seen enough to know extremists on both sides don't have the right answers.
 

mark1

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the cleveland zoo has been doing this for awhile around here .........these turtle's use to be common where i live , as kid's we use to find them all the time ..... that would be back in the late 1960's , there were 50 known populations near me , now there are 19 with only 3 populations being self sustaining ......... snapping turtles are even declining , eastern softshells i believe are gone from the river we used to catch them out of ....... marshes along the lake erie shoreline have declined by 95% ........ the everglades has declined by 2,000,000 acres to 3,000,000 acres , only half of that 3 million acres are nationally protected ......... folks that think federal wildlife laws are not necessary , aren't paying attention , i've lived on the same river since i was in 2nd grade , it's a whole different world as far as wildlife spaces for my grand kids as opposed to what it was for me ......
 
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