By fits and starts, spring is making its way north to the Adirondacks. The first trilliums are pushing their heads up through the woodland duff, white-throated sparrows are returning to join robins and red-winged blackbirds at household feeders, and the ice is all but gone on most local ponds. But it’s still too cold in the mountains to entice snakes and turtles to venture out and about. That’s not the case in more temperate climes, however, and I’m happy to report the first Turtle Taxi rescue of the year. And who is the good samaritan? None other than a frequent Outside contributor, cyclist and photographer Pat McKay. Here’s his account:

[Last Wednesday] marked the first turtle rescue of the year for me. It seems that every spring its always a snapping turtle, not a docile little box turtle, that I find sunning itself in the middle of the road. The box turtles tend to show up around here when it is a little bit warmer. Isn’t this a great face though? And I’ve still got all 10 fingers!

And here are two photos Pat took of the snapper before he carried her to safety:

Thanks, Pat, for giving this grande dame a helping hand! And if you’re wondering what you can do when you see a surly snapper (or even a bashful box turtle) who’s about to venture out into harm’s way, you’ve come to just the right place. First, read “Become a Turtle Taxi.” Then print out our Quick Guide and carry it with you whenever you head down the road. Somewhere there’s a turtle who’ll have good reason to be glad you did.

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The press of work and a stiff wind made me less than enthusiastic about taking a spin on my bike. But I’d reached an impasse in the article I was working on. Cycling always clears my mind, so I figured that a couple of hours away from my desk would help me unblock the recalcitrant narrative line. Besides, I needed the exercise, even if I was already pretty tired. So I saddled up and headed out for a circuit on my favorite 20-mile loop. I was right to think that I’d feel better once I was underway, and I felt even better half an hour later when I rounded a bend to find a painted turtle hunkered down in the road.

I’d just been passed by several speeding cars, and at first I thought that I’d arrive on the scene too late—that the turtle had been struck. But I stopped anyway and was happy to see that the turtle was alive and well, even if she had withdrawn into her shell.

Ducking into a hard shell is a wonderful defensive strategy when a hungry coyote is sniffing about, but it does little to protect a turtle from a couple of tons of hurtling metal and glass. So, to make doubly sure that the turtle was unscathed, I lifted her from the pavement and gave her a once-over. That’s when I noticed the pair of fat leeches clinging to her carapace.

It only took a minute to flick the two hitchhikers off their host with a stick. (The turtle seemed none the worse for having giving them a free ride—and probably a free lunch, into the bargain.) Then I carried the endangered traveler well off the road and put her down near the edge of a boggy woods—this was where she’d been heading—before wishing her well and continuing on my ride.

A bit later, my circuit took me back to the stretch of road where I’d spotted the turtle. There was no sign of her, and for that I was glad. Any day when you can give a turtle a lift in your “taxi” is a good day as far as I’m concerned. And what about that blocked narrative line? No problem. When I got back from my ride I breezed through the rest of the article. Seems as if cycling is good for whatever ails you, especially when a ride puts you on the scene to lend a helping hand to a needy traveler.

 
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It’s that time of year again. Turtles are on the move, and they often move into danger. Sometimes, though, they hit it lucky. Last week I saw a large snapper quickly cross a road on her own along my favorite bike route. Safe and sound. And a few days ago, I got a letter from Shawn Orbanic, who also keeps his eyes open for turtles. Here’s what he has to say:

Out on a bike ride this morning I came across this little lady putting down her eggs not two feet from the berm of the road:

She had crawled out of a local stream about 100 feet behind her, so hopefully in three months the babies will go that way! I ride this route pretty regularly, so I’ll be on the lookout come the end of August.

Last year Shawn gave 17 hatchling snapping turtles a new lease on life when he gathered them off a parking lot and carried them to a river only yards away. Some of their siblings had already been crushed by drivers in so great a hurry to get to work that they didn’t notice they were parking on small turtles. With luck, this year’s hatchlings will find their own way to the river, and if their directions are off, Shawn will be there to give them a lift.

So how about you? Have you helped a turtle this season? Send us a picture and your story and we’ll post the turtle’s portrait in the Outside Turtle Gallery.

If you’re someone who would like to help turtles but don’t know how, read our tips in “Help Turtles Cross Roads.” And you can print out our Quick Guide for Turtle Taxis, which shows how to safely lift and transport turtles to the other side of the road. Print our one-page guide and carry it with you. Better yet, print out several and hand them around to your friends! The turtles will thank you, each and every one of them.

 
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