Turtles Gone Wild

Wareham Free Library to host ‘Turtles Gone Wild’ May 3rd

WAREHAM —
Through the magic of digital media, Don Lewis and Sue Wieber Nourse - the Turtle Journal Team - will transform the Wareham Free Library into a reptilian paradise, with the presentation of “Turtles Gone Wild” on May 3 at 6:30 p.m., so kids from 5 to 105 can experience firsthand the hair-raising excitement of adventure and discovery.
They say participants will cast off the ordinary world of bricks and mortar, climb inside a dazzling sound and light show, and unleash their inner explorer.
The audience can watch as turtles wake from winter slumber, bask in bright spring sunshine and turn thoughts to creating the next generation of reptiles.
“You’ll hide in camouflage to observe female turtles trek across impossible obstacles to reach nesting sites and deposit egg clutches representing the future of threatened turtles on the SouthCoast. You’ll fast-forward as hatchlings emerge from the sand to take their first breath as they scramble to safety. You’ll uncover secrets about what makes these shelled critters such wild and wonderful telltale species of our natural world.  As turtle populations tumble, so goes the quality of life around us. As turtles prosper, so does the richness of our own world, too.
“Along our ocean coast, you’ll come face to face with five species of sea turtles that frequent Massachusetts waters. You’ll rescue a half-ton leviathan, a massive female leatherback, entangled in buoy lines and fighting for her life. You’ll patrol storm tossed beaches to rescue hundreds of the most endangered sea turtles in the world.”
Lewis serves as the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts.  Also known as “The Turtle Guy,” his research and rescue exploits have been featured on National Geographic TV and his work has been profiled in books on global animal rescue, endangered wildlife management and habitat preservation.
 Nourse, research scientist and master educator, is CEO of Cape Cod Consultants, an environmental solutions company specializing in wildlife management and critical habitat assessments that protect nature while expeditiously enabling client objectives. An intrepid adventurer, she led underwater research projects from the Canaries through the Caribbean Sea to the Hawaiian Islands, and from the Florida Keys through the Bahamas to Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod and the Gulf of Maine.
Their original nature stories and professional wildlife photography have appeared in newspapers, magazines and broadcast media locally, across the nation and around the globe. They document the nature of coastal Massachusetts on their website, Turtle Journal (www.turtlejournal.com), and they share real-time adventures directly from the wild on Twitter (www.twitter.com/turtlejournal).



Source: Wareham Free Library to host ‘Turtles Gone Wild’ May 3 - Wareham, MA - Wicked Local Wareham http://www.wickedlocal.com/wareham/news/education/x596784724/Wareham-Free-Library-to-host-Turtles-Gone-Wild-May-3#ixzz1tH1J7z3D

Turtle Crossings

About Town: Signs of the Times

Turtle Crossing signs installed around town, Community Gardens in full swing.


Concord, Massachusetts | April 24, 2012

The town's highway department and staff and students at Thoreau School organized signage be posted to protect Blanding's turtles.Credit MaureenC.Belt

Once again Concord raises the bar in terms of conservation. A few weeks ago, the Concord Public Works Highway Division, in collaboration with the staff and kids at Thoreau School, placed signs warning motorists to slow down.

And what better to symbolize “slow” than an image of a turtle. Four
Turtle Crossing Signs were installed around town to protect Blanding’s turtles who may be negligent about looking both ways before crossing streets to seek out soul mates. It is mating season for the species, which is considered nearly endangered in Massachusetts, as their habitats become infringed upon and predators destroy their nesting sites.

The turtles mate through May and begin nesting in June. The new signs will be located on Monsen Road, the Peter Spring and Cranefield Road intersection, the intersection of Butternut Circle and Mallard Drive, - where this photo was taken - and Minuteman Drive. Congratulations to the Thoreau School and our town government for protecting the Blanding’s Turtle!

Field Hands

Last week I noticed the Community Gardens are in full swing again. Plots are being hoed, seeds planted and compost bins are dotting the landscape across from the courthouse on Walden Street. Pretty soon I’ll be posting pictures of the glorious sunflowers that will bloom here at the Hugh Cargill Community Gardens. Not bad for a piece of land that once boasted the Poor House. Best of luck to all the gardeners.

That’s it for now, so ‘til Tuesday …

Don’t forget Stefanie’s column on Thursday!

Do you have something you would like to share? Contact me at mcb23@comcast.net or Stefanie at stefanieac@comcast.net and we will be happy to help you spread the good news. And follow us on Twitter: Stefanie is @stefanie3131 and I am @cosmo1162.


Source: ConcordPatch

Three outbreaks, three Salmonella strains, all linked to small turtles: CDC Continue reading on Examiner.com Three outbreaks, three Salmonella strain

Pet turtles have long been recognized as a major source of human Salmonella infection. Turtles are usually healthy carriers of Salmonella that shed the organism on an irregular basis in their feces.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Friday an investigation of three multistate Salmonella outbreaks linked to exposure to turtles or their environments

The three overlapping outbreaks involve three different strains of the Salmonella bacterium.

In total, as of Friday, 66 people, more than half under 10 years old, have been reported infected from 16 states.

Eleven of the victims required hospitalization for their illness. No deaths have been reported.

Salmonella Sandiego outbreak: To date, 45 individuals have been infected with this strain in 10 states (California-3, Georgia-1, Massachusetts-2, Maryland-5, New Jersey-5, New Mexico-3, New York-18, North Carolina-1, Pennsylvania6, and Virginia-1).

Continue reading on Examiner.com Three outbreaks, three Salmonella strains, all linked to small turtles: CDC - National infectious disease | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/infectious-disease-in-national/three-outbreaks-three-salmonella-strains-all-linked-to-small-turtles-cdc#ixzz1qu4BiXXx