Cremation crunch in B.C.
Downtown revitalization
Navigating rising costs
$500 M for wildfires so far
‘Meet Me in Mortlach’
Public inquest for death
Chance to challenge 
Rise of humble water gun 
Shooting suspect surrenders
Israel condemns partitions
US stocks rise, oil prices slip 
Carrying on father's legacy 
Panthers one win away
Pickard to start for Oilers
Rocket joins Canucks staff
Brad Pitt admits mistakes
Former MTV host dies
Sabrina Carpenter 'too sexy'
They might seem prolific when you see a bunch of them sunning on a log in one of Kelowna’s wetlands, but western painted turtles are considered an at-risk species in the Central Okanagan.
A Castanet reader recently shared footage of a mother turtle digging a nest along the Valley Glen Wetland.
Females typically lay eggs in the late spring, around May and June, but It will be months before the eggs hatch and the tiny newborns emerge into the world.
“The eggs will hatch later on in the summer and the hatchlings will remain in the nest through the fall. They overwinter in the nest and they are exposed to freezing temperatures during that time.
“Then, in the following spring, the hatchlings will emerge from the nest and find their way to the water,” explained Justin DeMerchant, the executive director of the Okanagan Turtle Adoption Program.
The hatchlings are especially vulnerable when they emerge from the nest, facing dangers from passing vehicle traffic and a long list of predators. Those predators include coyotes, skunks, racoons, birds of prey, and one of the biggest threats is from house cats.
Another way humans threaten the animals’ habitat is by releasing pet turtles into the wild.
“They can introduce diseases to native species. So, that’s what my organization is all about,” said DeMerchant. “We take in pet turtles when people can’t keep them anymore to try to prevent them getting into the wild.”
He cautions enthusiast photographers to keep their distance. If you want to catch western painted turtles in their native habitat use a camera with a good zoom lens.
“You can get really good pictures from far away without disturbing the animals.”
Western Painted Turtles are the only species of freshwater turtle native to BC and DeMerchant believes they can live for up to 100 years.
He has been conducting turtle population studies in the Okanagan for the past decade and he will be submitting a paper for publication soon.
Click here to find out more about the Okanagan Turtle Adoption Program and here to see more of Justin's photos submitted to the iNaturalist website.
