A haven for hard tops: Turtle Rescue League in Southbridge marks 15 seasons

With his age estimated at about 90, Cedar has weathered many of life's battles.

But the craggy snapping turtle bears scars of what is surely his greatest test: large, wide gashes from a boat propellor cutting deep into his thick shell.

These injuries landed him at the Turtle Rescue League. Tucked into a cozy, cottage-like home in a lush, woodsy valley in Southbridge, the rescue, a nonprofit now concluding its 15th season, is run by a mix of staff and volunteers. The rescue provides aid and refuge to sick or injured turtles such as Cedar, who is among the 245 turtles currently in the rescue's care. The rescue offers many types of help for turtles, and although it doesn't typically take in surrendered pet turtles, it does offer tips on what to do if someone can no longer care for a pet turtle.

Turtle Rescue League is a registered nonprofit, and licensed by the state as a wildlife rehabilitator that cares for native turtle species.

'A long, uphill battle'

On a recent afternoon, Cedar was about to receive an injection, one of his regular treatments, to help him cope with his wounds, and stave off infections. Clinician Michaela Conder administered the injection, with the aid of Natasha Nowick, the rescue's president, board chair and facility director.

Despite comforting talk and pats, he wasn't happy about any of this, reactingwith writhing, clawed feet. "We have to figure out the internal damage," Conder said. "He's definitely got a long, uphill battle."

All the turtles such as Cedar have a back story, as does another snapping turtle, a female named Snowball. During a recent visit, she was plodding along the floor.

Strictly speaking, she's supposed to stay in her water-filled basin, with a basin mate, with whom she has an occasional tussle. Nowick leaned down gently to hold up Snowball, showing her delicate face and bright eyes that appeared to wink, with the softest of breaths from her tiny snoot. She turned her head to one side, the result o brain injury Snowball sustained when struck by a car.

Despite their fearsome reputations, Nowick said, snapping turtles are quite mellow, as Cedar and Snowball showed, can have congenial personalities. As Nowick held up Snowball, it was clear to see: their rough, tough top shells, called the carapace, contrast with the tiny, narrow bottom shell, known as the plastron. Essentially, snappers are lumbering marshmallows, and need to protect themselves.

Ancient animals, modern struggles

Something important to know about turtles: they comprise a large, varied family of reptiles that over an estimated 230 million years have adapted to homes in deserts, forests, on remote islands, in deep ponds and lakes, marshy shores, and in the world's oceans and seas. Their shells, actually an extension of their skeletons, grow from within their ribcages, and have served them well through many epochs of life on Earth.

And, a believed nonagenarian such as Cedar isn't unusual. Many turtle species have long potential lifespans. But nowadays, Nowick said, turtles face many dangers, mostly from humans. Females crossing roads, especially in May and June, to lay their eggs may be struck by vehicles, as was Snowball. Water-dwelling turtles may get tangled in abandoned fishing lines, or, like Cedar, hit by boat propellors and motors. Pollution and habitat loss have taken their on many species, and the attractive appearance of many turtles makes them prone to capture as pets.

From about August to October, the eggs laid by female turtles begin to hatch. The tiny hatchlings need their own protection, said Nowick. Nowick showed a container in which a clutch of hatchling snappers scrambled about. They looked for all the world like miniature replicas of Gamera, the fire-powered, supersized turtle of Japanese kaiju fame, known for saving children in jeopardy.

In Massachusetts, all species except painted turtles, stinkpots and common snapping turtle are protected, which means it's illegal to capture or keep them. But all other turtles require permits to possess, alive or deceased, and this includes their shells.

Get to know the state's turtle species

Learn more about the state's turtles, and how to help them

I found a turtle that appears sick or hurt. Where can I find help in my area?

Many mouths to feed

When visitors arrive at the rescue, especially during the warm months, they may quickly take note of several affable, land-dwelling turtles, plodding about or hunkering down in their pens.

"Currently, we keep our box turtles and some of our larger tortoises outdoors during the summer," Nowick said. "These species do exceedingly well outside, and when it starts getting really cool in the evenings, and overnight, they are moved into their winter habitats, which are inside." Turtles, like other reptiles, can "brumate," a state of inactivity similar to hibernation. Even so, the land-dwelling turtles are all brought indoors until warm days return.

Meanwhile, go down into the basement of the home, and many aquatic turtles, such as the snapping turtles, are basking in tanks. Other species represented include elegant painted turtles, a common sight on rocks or driftwood in area water ways, soaking up the warm sun. There are a few terrapins, known for their diamond-shaped markings, and preferring a brackish environ.

If turtles live in diverse habitats, they also eat diverse food. Nowick said aquatic turtles are feed pelletized food that ensures they are getting proper nutrition. "Although we have formulated foods for the box turtles and the tortoises, their behaviors and foraging for food precludes this being the primary support of their diet," said Nowick. They get food mashes custom made three times weekly. Most also receive green vegetables, fruits, and for carnivorous species, nightcrawlers and red wiggler worms.

The rescue's formal inception began in 2010. But for Nowick and cofounder Alexxia Bell, the rescue's roots go much deeper. "I grew up in a family big into nature and wildnerness," said Nowick. "The idea of helping wildlife made a lot of sense."

An enounter with destiny

While hiking through woodlands in 2008, Nowick came across an injured snapping turtle. The encounter proved a turning point.

Nowick and Bell purchased the house where the rescue is located, with the idea of providing a space for education, as well as space for the turtles. It made for a big change from the organization's original location, a two-bedroom apartment in Webster.

All told, about nine regular staff run the rescue, with nearly 30 regular volunteers, and a membership list of over 1,000 who can be counted on to donate funds, or sign up for transport, or volunteer during specific times.

The rescue participates in local Earth Day activities, provides educational material about turtles and offers presentations featuring designated "ambassador" turtles to schools and classrooms, which Nowick said help fund the rescue's expenses. The rescue's operational budget runs between $85,000 and $100,000 annually, Nowick said.

"The rescue in its earliest days struggled with fundraising, so at the time, it made no sense to take on huge expenses." The solution: give the Turtle Rescue League a lease of $0 monthly to use the home's basement floor, and part of the first floor.

"Eventually, one day, we will have a completely dedicated center, which will not waste space on having living space on site other than dormitories for visiting professionals who want to learn about turtle rehabilitation from one of the largest centers dedicated to turtles in the northeast," Nowick said.

Nowick and Bell have received extensive training which Nowick said takes the form of an apprentice-style approach. They worked with the late Kathy Mitchell, a longtime wildlife rehabilitator and educator who ran the  New York Center for Turtle Rehabilitation and Conservation.

Maintaining proper licensing and permits requires logging in educational hours each year, as well providing educational hours to those who want to specialize in wild turtle rehabilitation, Nowick said.Although a degree in biology or other life sciences is a plus, Nowick noted her background in mechanical engineering and commercial art, while Bell majored in business.

The rescue's website lists the credentials of the board's members.

Some turtles are what Conder called "lifers," meaning their disabilities or other conditions make them ineligible to return to their natural habitat. For those who reach a point when they can be released, which Nowick described as "graduation," it brings a poignant experience. It's a victory, but it also means saying goodbye to a creature that has made a place in their hearts.

Nowick described the feeling as "empty tank syndrome," as the turtle goes off to seek its destiny in a place it was meant to be, but also outside the safe, controlled environment of the rescue.

Some turtles, even with great care and medical treatment, may not pull through, and occasionally, euthanization is the most humane option. Coping with grief and loss never comes easily. Nowick said, "We put our hearts and souls into all of our patients and hold a hopeful optimism that each will recover and become a whole turtle again."

Many hands and hearts

Events such as the recent illness of a staff member have meant everyone pulling together for the turtles' sake, and for each other. "We've gone to a point where although a lot of us are super dedicated hard working and tireless folk, but we can sustain things like emergencies, vacations, marriages and honeymoons, and still save hundreds of turtles every single year," Nowick said.

Challenges can come anytime, such as a recent flooding prompted by an accident during the cleaning of some tanks, with some 6,000 gallons of water covering the floor of the rescue. Fortunately, a floodgate purchased in 2021 to protect against the record-setting wet weather helped to contain the damage.

No one was hurt, and no turtles were injured, though some took advantage of extra recreation. "In fact, several adventurous souls, including two snapping turtles and a non-native slider, got out of their habitats and were found swimming or walking with glee through the entire clinic and sanctuary area as if this was the greatest day in their lives," Nowick said.

Focus on the future

Nowick noted that attaining nonprofit status means the ownership of an organization goes from any individual to the custodyship of a board.

A board of directiors, a vision plan and a plan of success are all required for nonprofit status. The rescue has attracted supporters of all generations, which gives Nowick assurance in the rescue's continuation. "I am confident one of those individuals will be the president of this group one day, and I with pride will watch them adding their vision of the future to the mission of the Turtle Rescue League."

Nowick said, "And one day, and one day I will absolutely not be a part of this, but the rescue will live on and will continue saving the world, one turtle at a time."

Each night brings a making of the rounds, to check on all the resident turtles to make sure all is well. Automated lights go out, and a quiet settles in, except perhaps the gentle humming of water tanks. For Nowick, caring for turtles puts in sharp relief nature's delicate balance, and the impermanence of all life.

Nowick recalled the loss of a turtle in 2009, before the rescue was formally incorporated. An eastern painted turtle, named Pigment, had been taken from the wild by a child. By the time Pigment came to the rescue, she was in poor condition, and succumbed shortly afterward.

The staff and volunteers consider Pigment and other turtles that have passed on as "guardian spirits of the rescue," a memory that inspires everyone involved in the rescue to persevere.

Nowick said, "Little Pigment taught us a lot, even though she was only with us for a little over a week, and I can picture her basking, enjoying her time with us."

Turtle Rescue League accepts visitors by appointment only. To learn more, visit turtlerescueleague.org.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: A haven for hard tops: Turtle Rescue League in Southbridge marks 15 seasons