Make Waves! Celebrate Oceans Day on June 8th.

Pinawanians meet a water creature at the Rowing Club Dock.....

By Pinawa CDC

    Canadian Wildlife Federation urges all Canadians to "discover the connection between where you live, your watershed and Canada's oceans on Oceans Day, June 8th . Engage your family and community in celebrating this year's theme, “Watersheds … your link to Canada's oceans … explore the connection!”   Be sure to explore our website where you can order a poster , teacher's kits and more".

       Three days prior to Oceans Day I received a phone call at home and at work to tell me about a very large Snapping Turtle laying eggs early in the morning on the pathway to the Rowing Club Dock .  They called me to see if I wanted photos and if there was anyway to protect the eggs. 

  A call into Manitoba Conservation revealed that nobody at the University or at Conservation were doing any studies on the turtle and the best solution would be to rope the site off.  This in itself could also bring attention to the site bringing more harm than good.   There was a study on Snapping Turtles last year in Ontario and they learned that any depredation on the eggs could set the population back 35 to 50 years.

  The following are photographs submitted by Don Ewing and Dick Thomson of the turtle laying her eggs.

Location of the Snapping Turtle starting to dig the hole in Pinawa.  Can you see the turtle?

By Don Ewing

A side view of her excavating the gravel.

By Don Ewing

The Snapper continues to excavate. Algae growth is seen on older turtles.

By Dick Thomson

The first egg is laid.  Nobody stayed long enough to see how many she laid after 5 eggs.

By Dick Thomson

Drop by the Pinawa CDC Visitor Centre at 2 Vanier in the Whiteshell Centre to look at the magnificant poster of a Painted Turtle.  You can have one too by using the above link for the Canadian Wildlife Federation to email them for a Free poster.  Check out the site to see how you can preserve our water and shorelines.

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