Our Turtle Conservation Program

The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands are rolling out a Turtle Conservation Program for the Goulbourn Wetland Complex and its two tributaries, Poole Creek and Flowing Creek. The cold or cool waters of Poole Creek, running through the heart of Stittsville, are considered a crucial and rare habitat, sustaining a unique ecological system of significant environmental and recreational value to the community of Stittsville and Ottawa. 

To gauge community support for this initiative, we hosted an “All About Turtles” Earth Day Forum on April 22, 2026, from 7 – 9:30 PM at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The evening raised public awareness about turtles, conservation, and explored the key elements and benefits of rolling out a community science program for our community. 

Our guests included David Seburn, Freshwater Turtle Specialist, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Janet Mason, Chair, Friends of Carp Hills, and Lisa Browning, Education Coordinator, Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. 

Seburn focused on saving our turtles and provided practical advice on how you can help them.  Mason spoke about the Friends of Carp Hills' highly successful turtle conservation program and provided lessons to consider when we roll out a program for Stittsville. Browning highlighted the work of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, which includes a turtle hospital for treating, rehabilitating and releasing injured turtles, alongside conservation initiatives, education and outreach programs. 

Display models of Ontario’s eight native freshwater turtle species (L to R): the Snapping, Painted, Northern Map, Eastern Musk, Blanding’s, Wood, Spotted, and Spiny Softshell Turtles.
Photo Credit: Bob Halberstadt

The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands Turtle Conservation Program for the Goulbourn Wetland Complex and its two tributaries will be rolled out in two phases from 2026 to 2027. 

Phase 1 – 2026

1. Track your sightings of our native freshwater turtle species and other plant and wildlife species through iNaturalist.

iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation. 

The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands have created an iNaturalist umbrella project called the  Goulbourn Wetlands and Major Tributaries.  This project includes three subsets – the Goulbourn Wetland, which represents the headwaters for two tributaries, Poole Creek and Flowing Creek. Each of the three subsets reflects a different part of this unique ecosystem and is designed to engage citizens in collecting information from across the area through citizen science. The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands are the administrators for these projects.

2. Constructing Turtle Nest Protectors

The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands are seeking interested individuals to construct turtle nest protectors in preparation for Phase 2 of the turtle conservation program. We need 12 nest protectors to start our community program.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation provides specifications to build a Turtle Nest Protector here.

If you have the tools, we will provide the materials. Contact us at FriendsofStittsvilleWetlands@gmail.com

Phase 2 – Spring 2027

1. Be a Turtle Champion!

The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands are seeking interested individuals to serve as Volunteer Turtle Champions across our community to support phase two of the turtle conservation program in the spring of 2027. A training session will be held in late 2026 or early 2027.

Learn more about the role and responsibilities of a Turtle Champion.

If you are interested in volunteering as a Turtle Champion, contact us at FriendsofStittsvilleWetlands@gmail.com