Turtle Island

Turtle Hill

“It’s so amazing!” Tyler was starring at the lake before us. I glanced over at him and smiled. His blue eyes were looking around this amazing place, taking everything in as quickly as he could. Clumps of Lily pads surrounded us on both sides of our kayaks, but we could see open water ahead. We were headed for deeper waters. “Why do people want to destroy it with their machines and their big boats?”

I didn’t have an answer for him. It was partly why I had come. Some old friends had told me that things here had changed. I had been here many times before and each time, the beautiful of it all took my breath away. The more people found out about this place though, the more the area became damaged and endangered. I was here to see what had been done over the years and to see if we could help.

We pushed off away from the lily pads. I glanced behind us as we rode and realized our kayaks were leaving a trail through the lily pads, breaking apart the leafs that had grown together. The sound of the leafs breaking was the only sound around. It was an amazing sight! This area was so untouched by man and modern technology that even the slightest of changes was noticeable here. As we paddled into deeper waters, the lily pads became fewer and fewer until soon there were none at all, except a small leaf clinging to my paddle. I knocked it off into the water and paddled on.

“How far do we have to go?”

“Just around that ridge there.” I pointed to a ridge in the far corner of the lake. We paddled over the ridge and around the corner was a hill ahead. “Turtle Hill!” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“What?” Tyler had never been here before.

“Turtle Hill. It’s a place we used to go to see the turtles hatch out. The mothers lay the eggs in the sand and then sixty to ninety days later; the turtles hatch out, usually from August to October. They then begin their journey to the water below. It’s awesome to watch.”

“So turtles lay their eggs in the sand?”

“Yes, usually in a sunny spot to keep the eggs warm.”

“There’s no sand on this hill. How could the turtles have laid their eggs here?”

I looked up at the hill. Tyler was right. Where there had once been sand the hill was now eroded away. Roots from trees on top of the hill shown through and small brush had begun to overgrow the area. Erosion had taken away much of the sand and it was hard to even call this place a hill now. I sighed. “There used to be sand here, several years ago. It’s gone now though, which is why the turtles are no longer here. It’s eroded away. Not from the weather though, from people. People have used this hill so much for sand skiing, sliding, and whatever else they felt like doing. They cut down the trees on the hill that helped hold in the soil too, and now it’s all gone. Without the soil, the turtles couldn’t lay their eggs here either.”

Tyler looked up at the hill then back at me. “Where did the turtles go then?”

“No one knows for sure. Some of the turtles that come here are listed as special concern because they are close to being endangered. Without places to lay their eggs, they cannot survive as a species.” We sat in our kayaks for a while, neither of us really knowing what to say. I could feel the water gently rocking my kayak back and forth, as I stared at the hill, looking, hoping for a sign of life. But there was nothing there.

“What about the people who come here? Isn’t there anything we can do? What if they just made the area off-limits to all people?”

“We need people to manage the land. Humans screwed it up and if we just left it, things would give even worse than they are. People have introduced foreign invasive species and destroyed the native habitat. We need to get back to using the land as it was created for.”

“So what are we doing here? What is this trip about?”

“We’re here to find a new turtle hill, if there is one. If not, maybe we can create one by bringing the sand and the soil back. I know people who can help.” I pushed my kayak away from the hill. “Let’s get started. This is a big area and we have a lot to cover.”

“You really think we’ll find anything out here?” Tyler pushed off in his kayak and began to follow me.

“We have to. Their future, maybe even our future depends on it.” We glided across the lake towards a portage. The portage would take us to another lake, another portage, another lake and so on. With each lake, we would look for answers, and with each lake, we had hope of finding another turtle hill. I could never stop looking until I knew there was a chance the turtles would return. Maybe, with the turtles, I could find my own return too.

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