World Turtle Day is May 23
Happy Earth Day friends!Turtles have been taking care of this planet for 220 million years. Long before us, they were already doing the work — freshwater turtles keep our rivers, ponds, and lakes clean by scavenging debris and controlling algae. Sea turtles maintain healthy ocean ecosystems and seagrass beds. Tortoises spread seeds across entire landscapes, helping forests and grasslands grow. Even gopher tortoises dig burrows that provide shelter for over 350 other species.
They’ve been doing their part for millions of years. Today’s a good day to start doing ours.
**5 things you can do for turtles (and the planet) today:
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1. Skip the single-use plastic — sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish
2. Pick up litter near water — ponds, streams, beaches, even storm drains
3. Help a turtle cross the road — always in the direction it was already heading
4. Never release a pet turtle into the wild — it disrupts local ecosystems and can spread disease
5. Talk about it — 61% of turtle species are threatened or extinct, and most people have no ides.
