{"id":64706,"date":"2025-05-19T14:19:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T18:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=64706"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:19:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T18:19:37","slug":"nysdec-message-motorists-are-encouraged-to-give-turtles-a-brake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/nysdec-message-motorists-are-encouraged-to-give-turtles-a-brake\/","title":{"rendered":"NYSDEC message: Motorists are encouraged to give turtles \u2018A Brake\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"700\" data-attachment-id=\"64707\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/nysdec-message-motorists-are-encouraged-to-give-turtles-a-brake\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original.jpg?fit=600%2C700&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"600,700\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original.jpg?fit=600%2C700&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original.jpg?resize=600%2C700&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-64707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original.jpg?resize=257%2C300&amp;ssl=1 257w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wood-turtle-ksenia-zinchenko_original.jpg?resize=129%2C150&amp;ssl=1 129w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo of wood turtle near the road by Ksenia Zinchenko.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Press release<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The months of May and June mark the start of fair weather and with it, the emergence of&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flinks-2.govdelivery.com%2FCL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Fdec.ny.gov%252Fnature%252Fanimals-fish-plants%252Famphibians-reptiles%2F1%2F01010196e91227c4-a76f6cb8-1f5b-4c0c-b8ca-51cc04ff7168-000000%2FDXNZhVsEyLYXMimA6f6UtydyqXFzuW4Zcn2ZRQAK2K8%3D405&amp;data=05%7C02%7C%7C736f33d81d9d4a6d927308dd96e64e33%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638832638127578631%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=840J8PVJ%2FCy9agTY9lm0OjfUBZKHpqsz8imHaEILyC0%3D&amp;reserved=0\">New York\u2019s turtle species<\/a>! They are migrating to habitat for basking, foraging, and nesting. Female&nbsp;turtles are seeking nesting areas&nbsp;to lay their eggs and may need to risk crossing roads to get to these habitats.&nbsp;Unfortunately, thousands of turtles are killed each year when struck by vehicles in New York State. Please never remove a turtle from the wild to \u2018rescue\u2019 it or take it to an area with fewer roads.&nbsp;Turtles are familiar with the landscape and may try to return, and risk crossing more roads. Removing even one adult female turtle from the wild can hurt local populations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Here are some tips to help turtles this nesting season:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If possible, reduce traveling speed and stay vigilant around ponds, wetlands, or other turtle crossing hot spots\u2014where there may be turtle crossing signs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stop only if you can\u00a0<strong>safely<\/strong>\u00a0do so, signal properly when pulling over, and\u00a0<strong>park entirely off the road.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do not pick turtles up by their tails<\/strong>. Most turtles, other than snapping turtles, can be picked up safely by the sides of their shell. Use a secure grip, as turtles may kick at your hands to loosen your hold. Dropping a turtle can damage their shell and developing embryos within females. Move the turtle off the road in the direction it is facing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What if it&#8217;s a snapping turtle?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Snapping turtles have an extremely muscular jaw and long necks that can \u2018snap\u2019 or extend backwards over the shell to inflict a defensive bite. (<strong>*Safety note*<\/strong>: snapping turtles can spin quickly and kick vigorously when gripped and lifted \u2013 use appropriate caution.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using thick gloves, use both hands to grip it by the rear of the shell near the tail and drag the turtle onto a mat or blanket and then safely across the road.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A licensed wildlife rehabilitator may be able to help if an injured turtle is found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Leave turtles in the wild\u2014do not take them home as pets.&nbsp;<\/strong>All amphibians and reptiles native to New York are protected by New York State Environmental Conservation Law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo of wood turtle near the road by Ksenia Zinchenko. Press release The months of May and June mark the start of fair weather and with it, the emergence of&nbsp;New York\u2019s turtle species! They are migrating to habitat for basking, foraging, and nesting. Female&nbsp;turtles are seeking nesting areas&nbsp;to lay their \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"continue-reading-button\"> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/nysdec-message-motorists-are-encouraged-to-give-turtles-a-brake\/\">Continue reading<i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[716,1],"tags":[718,5137],"class_list":["post-64706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nys","category-uncategorized","tag-dec","tag-turtles"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-gPE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39980,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2023\/02\/13\/genesee-county-village-of-oakfield-resident-to-petition-the-village-board-to-allow-residents-to-raise-chickens\/","url_meta":{"origin":64706,"position":0},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Village of Oakfield resident to petition the Village Board to allow residents to raise chickens","author":"aka","date":"February 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Village of Oakfield resident Samantha Ilacqua is planning to petition the Village Board to allow for residents to raise chickens on their property at Monday evening's regular Village Board meeting on Monday night. \"Residents in the Village of Oakfield, NY have been very loud with their desire about wanting to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Oakfield&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Oakfield","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/oakfield\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":74842,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/genesee-county-town-of-alabama-planning-board-continues-to-study-the-site-plan-for-stream-u-s-data-centers-proposed-19-46-billion-project\/","url_meta":{"origin":64706,"position":1},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Town of Alabama Planning Board continues to study the site plan for STREAM U.S. Data Centers&#8217; proposed $19.46 billion project","author":"aka","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Story by Brian Quinn As the town of Alabama Planning Board continues to study the site plan for STREAM U.S. Data Centers' proposed $19.46 billion project at the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacture (STAMP), the board keeps getting public input. 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