Une collecte de fonds pour la famille Randell

2017 was a very successful year for the turtle-reporting site, Carapace. First piloted in the Outaouais in 2016, the project expanded across Quebec last year and was well received.

“More than 500 people participated in 2017, providing us with 856 turtle sightings. That’s a fantastic result for the first province-wide season and we look forward to having even more reports this year”, said Caroline Gagné, Nature Conservancy of Canada Project Manager for Western Quebec.

The goal of the project is to collect enough observations on or near roads and trails to be able to identify “hotspots” where turtles are most at risk. With that information, measures can be taken to lessen those risks and the resulting road mortality.

“We don’t yet have enough data to identify hotspots but as we continue to collect observations over the years the problem areas should become evident”, Gagné explained.

Project Carapace makes reporting simple. Just take a photo of the turtle (alive, injured or dead), note your location then enter that information on the website Carapace.ca. The site also has lots of information about turtles and the project, including how to help a turtle cross the road ...or not! The height of turtle travelling season is June but you can improve your species ID skills and review best practices by visiting the site now.

Developed and managed from their Outaouais office, the Nature Conservancy of Canada is the lead organization for Carapace. Financial support is also provided by the Quebec government, la Fondation de la faune du Québec and the Quebec Turtle Recovery Team. Numerous partners throughout Quebec contribute to spreading the word about the project.