The Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-08-26, Page 1The
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Valerie Gillies Lucknow Sentinel
Bella Hemeon and her turtle take some time to study each other before the release in Wingham
on August 19, 2015. She had never held a snapper before and stated, "This is pretty cool."
Rachel White (left) and Monique
Aarts of Huron Stewardship
Council were on turtle hatchling
duty during the release at
Wingham River Flats Ecological
Park on August 19, 2015.
Selena Hazlitt, a long-time
friend of Julie Sawchuk,
speaks to the crowd on the
banks of the Wingham River
Flats Ecological Park on
August 19, 2015 about her
conversations with Sawchuk
concerning her recovery to
date and this event. It was
decided that Hazlitt's son,
Owen Verhoef, would release
the special turtle named Julie
in Sawchuk's honour, which he
did after the introduction.
Share the road with
turtles and cyclists
Turtle
hatchlings
released in
Wingham in honour
of Julie Sawchuk
Valerie Gillies
Lucknow Sentinel
Julie Sawchuk, a highschool
teacher, mother and athlete
rescued the hatchlings of a
snapping turtle injured on the
road in the summer of 2014.
One year later, on July 29, 2015
Julie was struck from behind
while cycling and sustained
injuries which left her para-
lyzed from the chest down.
On August 19, the Huron
Stewardship Council and
Friends of Sawchuk came
together to release hatchlings
once more to spread the mes-
sage "Share the Road with
wildlife and cyclists; as well as
to fundraise to help Sawchuk's
family.
The turtle that Sawchuk
found in 2014 was so badly
injured that it had to be euth-
anized. However, Sawchuk
had contacted Huron Stew-
ardship Council (HSC) who
were able to remove a few
dozen eggs, incubate them
and release the hatchlings
with Sawchuk's Biology class.
The hatchlings released
this year were mainly from
eggs rescued from dead
female turtles who were
struck by vehicles on the
road while looking for a
place to lay their eggs. Some
eggs were also collected
from nests that were too
close to danger, such as
shoulders of roadways and
driveways. A very special lit-
tle turtle was the sole survi-
vor of its mother that was
killed on the road. She was
named Julie as she is like her
namesake, Julie Sawchuk, in
that she is a survivor. During
her speech at the release,
Sawchuk's long-time friend
Selena Hazlitt related that it
was Sawchuk's wish to
extend the Share the Road
initiative from turtles and
cyclists to include all who
share the road with the cars.
Hazlitt explained that motor-
ists should also be cautious
and courteous to agricul-
tural machinery, those who
drive horse and buggies,
wildlife and athletes and
anyone else who use
the roads.
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