Achi news desk-
In a display of environmental stewardship, a group of passionate youth in Waterloo region have taken action to protect endangered turtle species by building innovative turtle nest protectors.
“Well, ever since I was very young, I was in a school that was pretty nature oriented, so it’s always been part of my life and I think our nature and our climate is quite important,” said participant Sydney. Johnstone.
“We have a group of 14 to 18 year olds here today and we have gathered them from all over the Kitchener-Waterloo area,” said Skirrow Scouts Youth Leadership Specialist. “And we’re building turtle nest protectors because sea turtles are endangered in the KW area.”
Amid growing concerns about the decline in turtle populations as a result of habitat destruction and other threats caused by humans and animals, young conservationists have stepped up to make a difference in their local ecosystem. Led by a local youth programme, Saturday’s event took place at the RARE Charity ECO Center in Cambridge. The aim of the event was to raise awareness about the plight of turtles and promote active conservation efforts among youth.
“Turtles are a very important native species that we have here in Canada and all eight species that we have here are endangered,” said participant Mahnur Mehdi.
“It’s just four planks of wood with some mesh on top and they go all the way over the top of a turtle nest, so predators like raccoons, loose dogs, anything that would try to get to these animals, by including humans, protecting them,” Skirrow explained.
The purpose of the nest protectors is to create a safe environment for turtle eggs to hatch and hatch successfully.
“They are working with our charity organization to build turtle nest protectors and all these turtle nest protectors they build will go into the KW area as they find nests to protect this year ,” Skirrow said. “When they’re not making nests, we have leaders in our group, all between the ages of 14 and 18, who have taken a special interest in sea turtles. So they lead turtle specific games, turtle specific trivia, they lead different webinars to educate young people about sea turtles and why this is so important.”
Building turtle nest protectors is a tangible example of the importance of involving youth in conservation efforts.
“It helps connect us with like-minded people and also brings hope for the future,” Mehdi said.
“I feel like it’s a pretty big problem at the moment, and probably should be talked about a lot more than it is,” Johnstone said.
Skirrow emphasized the importance of fostering a sense of environmental responsibility and fostering a connection with nature from a young age.
“I’ve noticed a lot of climate anxiety, a lot of doomsday thinking, you know, thinking that there’s nothing they can do, that things are the way they are and nothing’s going to change. But I find that doing something small that you can go out in the community and see some change happen, that gives a bit of hope and something to work towards.”
As turtle nest protectors are deployed across Waterloo region, they serve as a beacon of hope for the future of wildlife conservation.
“These young people are really passionate and they are going to shape the future for us,” said Skirrow.
For additional information on turtle nest protectors specifically in KW, you can visit the RARE website.
