Each year in May, after the spring sunshine has turned the once-frozen earth to a warm blanket, a spectacular event occurs. Female snapping turtles travel distances of five hundred feet or more into our yard to lay their eggs in the freshly plowed dirt in my garden. This may not seem like such a great distance to most of us, but, to a turtle, it is quite a hike.
We live on the edge of a wetland area that is home to many wild creatures. During the course of our forty-seven year residence in Littleton, we have witnessed an abundance of wildlife. There are common birds which one sees daily, such as cardinals, jays, robins, chickadees, bluebirds, hawks, and the like. We have also seen a few not so common species such as bald eagles, snowy owls and great horned owls. It has occasionally been our good fortune to encounter coyotes. And there is nothing as wonderful to see as a doe and her fawn browsing at field’s edge or a family of rabbits munching on clover. These occurrences have become almost commonplace in recent years.
But, what of the turtles? They are not very pretty, actually considered to be ugly by most. They are mean-spirited when encountered by people. They walk funny and smell kind of bad at times. However, they are one of our last links to prehistoric times. They have a primal instinct for survival. They would not have lasted all these years if not for this will to survive. These animals maintain a continuous battle to remain on their land, but for how long?
Constant human erosion has destroyed many natural habitats. What will happen to the turtles when yet another wilderness area becomes torn up by a developer’s machines? Where will the turtles go?
Where will the turtles go when their surroundings are no longer natural? Perhaps they will disappear, just as other creatures of the wild have, never to be seen again, never again to share the earth with man, defeated by their conquerors.
Drastic alterations to the land’s structure cannot be beneficial to these creatures. Can lawn greening chemicals and pesticides be anything but deadly to the wetland habitat? Can increased salt runoffs and septic leaching be a healthful situation to animals and humans alike? We all know these to be negative influences, yet we succumb to the misguided lure of progress.
Will our children and grandchildren continue to experience the grandeur of nature… the deer, the coyotes, the birds, and the turtles? Or will our legacy be simply memories of a wondrous spectacle? How long will it be before we see these wonders no more— 50, 30, ….or 10 years?
Man is waging war on the land and must see the light before it is too late. We must be givers to the environment, not just takers from the environment. We all have a responsibility to preserve nature for the benefit of our children. We must not be blinded by the temptation of profit.
Development must be strictly monitored if we are to maintain a balance with nature. Wild creatures did not invite us to come onto their land. We must not force them to leave. No one among us has the right to destroy natural habitats. We all have a moral responsibility to find ways to share our lives with nature’s gifts.
What is the moral solution? Conservationists must be vigilant in their efforts to protect this valuable part of life’s structure. We must strictly enforce existing laws and regulations regarding conservation. Extensive planning, cluster zoning to preserve open space, and public awareness of the tragedy that is upon us, are some of the solutions.
Native Americans have a true respect for nature that we do not seem to comprehend. That is, all creatures must live in harmony. Will our agenda concerning wildlife be the same as it was for the great tribes of this nation?
The responsibility lies at our door. The choice is ours to make. Whatever course we choose, we will have to live with … or live without, forever.
Where will the turtles go?
