"Paul Hernandez understands he can’t do much to solve the world’s environmental problems by himself. Overpopulation, global warming and ozone depletion are beyond his reach. "As an individual I can’t do much about climate change, but as an individual I can do something about a turtle crossing the road," said Hernandez. He and his daughter Sascha, 16, have been visiting stretches along the Wallkill River in Sussex County for the past decade to identify nest sites of wood turtles and determine their mortality rates. Most recently, the father-daughter team took aim at the biggest threat to adult wood turtles — humans — by posting road signs in the area of Brooks Flat Road and Route 517 in Ogdensburg warning motorists to be aware of possible turtle crossings near the Wallkill River." - John (bird whisperer) from Bookmarklet

"This time of year is the most dangerous time for the turtles — a threatened species in New Jersey — as they slowly emerge from murky rivers and streams after their months-long hibernation and become more active in search of food and mates. "Wood turtles like to walk. They can walk a half-mile, or a mile, from their nests," said the 60-year-old Hernandez, who works as an IT consultant. They are never more than about a half-mile from water, he added. While raids on nests by foxes and raccoons take a heavy toll on young wood turtles, road kills and the illegal collection of turtles by people who take them from their natural habitat for use as pets are the largest threats for the adults, said a state biologist." - John (bird whisperer)

amazing! - Amir

Awesome. :) - Kelli H.