If you think you saw a turtle ambling across a road in the past week or two, you probably have.
When the weather warms (ordinarily in June, but later this year) female turtles leave the lakes and ponds where they spend most of their lives, and slowly make their way uphill to dry crumbly soils to dig nests and lay their eggs.
It can take a turtle hours to rake out a suitable shallow hole in the ground.
When the eggs hatch, the palm-sized turtle hatchlings will stumble back downhill to the nearest water, at another risk of collision with cars.
On Lopez, turtles have been seen crossing Center Road and Hummel Lake Road where they pass closest to the lake.
San Juan County may have once had native Western pond turtles: small muddy green turtles that have disappeared from most of the west coast and are now classified as an endangered species.
We have received several unconfirmed reports of pond turtles on San Juan Island as recently as 2001.
But all of the turtles we have actually seen, in the field or in photographs, are either Western Painted Turtles or Red-Eared Sliders. Both are introduced.
The Western Painted Turtle is native to mainland Washington State and may have been introduced to liven up ponds.
Red-Eared Sliders are “dime-store turtles” that probably came to the islands as pets. They are non-native and widespread, but not invasive or destructive like bullfrogs.
And turtles are some of the islands’ only reptiles, along with Alligator Lizards and a few species of snakes.
Turtles mainly graze on aquatic vegetation like dabbling ducks, and are delightful to see lined up sunning themselves on a rock or log. Very few young turtles are seen in the islands, however, probably due to predators.
Mink, Otters, and Short-tailed Weasels can easily excavate and eat turtle eggs.
If you see a turtle in the road, just pick it up and place it on the side of the road where it was headed! Consider a turtle-crossing sign; contact us for a county-approved design.
If you find a turtle nest, do not disturb. And if you think you may have seen a Western pond turtle, please take photos and send them to kwiaht@gmail.com.
