Watch out for the turtles!

Twice in the past week I have nearly run over turtles crossing the road. The first was a monstrously large snapping turtle crossing Ballfall Road in Westfield. The nearest bodies of water were two swimming pools, and the street is quite busy, so I drove out to the far western edge of Middletown, hiked down to a large body of water and let him go there.

The second turtle was a gorgeous painted turtle, crossing from a pond to a golf course in Middlefield.
Be careful as you travel the byways and highways, watch out for turtles! If you see one, it is best to help it across the road, even if it is moving away from a pond. Turtles know what they are doing.

Correction: snapping turtle trapping is legal in Connecticut

(photo: John Hall)

In a post Saturday about a paddle trip up the Cochinchaug, I reported some thoughts about turtle poaching, which in the end, don't happen to be factual.

After some research, Professor Barry Chernoff has offered a letter of correction. Now, we need the Common Council to propose a resolution banning the trapping of snapping turtles.

I will also note a correction that sexual maturity of snapping turtles comes at seven years, not twenty years, as noted in the original post.


Click the letter to see full-size image.