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Community Volunteer Training

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Love turtles? Interested in hands-on conservation experience?  

 

Join the Saving Turtles at Risk Today (S.T.A.R.T.) Project and make a real impact on Ontario’s turtle populations! As a community volunteer, you’ll contribute to protecting at-risk turtles and their eggs alongside a network of passionate individuals and groups.  

 

By joining this effort, volunteers may help to:

  1. Identify and Protect: Learn how to identify different turtle species and their sex to help protect them. 

  2. Report Observations: Report sightings of important reptile species to our hotline. Take high-quality photos and provide key information to report turtle sightings to community science agencies. Use a custom data collection app to collect observations. 

  3. Keep Turtles Safe: Move turtles out of harm’s way, protect nests by caging them and assist in nest excavation.

  4. Respond and Communicate: Answer reptile emergency calls and help transport injured turtles and precariously laid eggs.

  5. Release Hatchlings: Participate in the exciting work of releasing baby turtles back into their natural habitat following captive incubation.

 

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to participate in permitted activities with the S.T.A.R.T. Project. If under 18, a parent or guardian must accompany you. Special circumstances may be considered.

 

REPORT A REPTILE ONLINE

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Registration is now closed.
Follow our social media for updates on when we're registering volunteers again next year.

The free training program consists of three levels, each building on the previous one. Participants must complete them in order. Annual recertification or retraining is required for levels 2 and 3 as project goals, methods, boundaries and permit requirements change annually.

 

Learn more: Community Volunteer Backgrounder

 
Level 1: Basic Training

 

Basic training emphasizes reporting valuable observations to community science agencies and what can be done as a community member without a government issued permit including:

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  • Recording observations via Google Forms

  • Species and sex identification

  • Threats to reptiles in Ontario

  • Basic safe handling for moving turtles out of harm’s way

  • Information required to report an observation

  • How to take useful, high-quality photos

  • Road and survey safety

  • Effective communication with the reptile hotline or other communications platforms

 
Level 2: Standard Training

 

*Successful completion of level 1: basic training is required.

Level 1 participants may choose to progress to Level 2 training, where they gain authorization to engage in permitted conservation activities. 

 

This training session includes:

  • Using MerginMaps app to report observations

  • Permitted activities and responsibilities as an individual under the S.T.A.R.T Project

  • Identifying turtle behavior including when a turtle is nesting and what you can do to help

  • Nest caging

  • Answering hotline calls in their area

  • Turtle hatchling release procedures

  • Transportation of turtles for processing or other purposes

 
Level 3: Advanced Training 

 

*Successful completion of Level 2: Standard training is required. Volunteers who pass Level 2 may be invited to undertake Level 3 at the discretion of the S.T.A.R.T. Project team.

 

The final level focuses on more advanced conservation activities. This in-person training will take place in May. It includes:

  • Additional information about threats and mitigation strategies 

  • Nest excavation and egg transport for captive incubation

  • Additional permit considerations related to egg excavation

  • Further fieldwork involvement

Questions or concerns?

Email us at: startturtleproject@gmail.com

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