It’s not often you get to hold a birthday bash for 500 babies.
But that’s exactly what happened Friday at the A.W. Campbell Conservation area near Alvinston.
The second ‘Turtley Awesome Shellabration’ event was held to mark the progress of an ongoing turtle hatchling program of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority.
Normally, one in 1,000 turtles will survive to birth if left on their own but the conservation authority’s hatching program means one in 100 survive.
“This is a success story,” says Kelli Smith, watershed biologist for the authority. “We’re here to give the turtles a helping hand and to boost their numbers.”

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