July 5th, 2007
a triumph for the turtles
About two weeks ago, I wrote about the controversy over turtle signs in the Peterborough area west of here. The municipal council had recently voted to remove 42 turtle crossing signs posted around the county as part of a larger plan to remove all signs that are not included in the Ontario Traffic Manual. The signs had originally been posted after a group of children going by the name of Kids 4 Turtles, raised $4,000 for their purchase in 2001. At the time, Peterborough council presented a heritage award to the children for their initiative. Following the announcement that the turtle signs were to be removed, Samantha Woolley, a volunteer at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre where turtles are cared for and rehabilitated after injury from road accidents and other trauma, set up an online petition. A total of 1,193 signatures were received from individuals calling for a stop to the elimination of the turtle signs. Some readers of this blog were among those who signed the petition.
Yesterday, members of Kids 4 Turtles addressed the Peterborough County council once again. Following much discussion, the decision to remove the turtle signs was reversed. The original 42 signs will continue to be maintained, and there may be additional signs posted at provincially significant wetlands in the area. The group now intends to lobby the Province of Ontario to have turtle crossing signs officially added to the Ontario Traffic Manual. Read more about yesterday’s success in this story from The Peterborough Examiner.
Nice going Kids 4 Turtles!!
Tags: Kids 4 Turtles, Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, Peterborough, turtle crossing signs
July 5th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Glad to hear that we in the U.S. aren’t the only ones bedeviled by the mindless worship of Order.
July 5th, 2007 at 8:17 am
Good news. Isn’t it amazing how hard it is to convince people to do something so simple, something that takes so little time and effort but that can result in good things?
July 5th, 2007 at 9:23 am
Yay! It is so refreshing to read good news for a change. Hurray for the turtles and the smart people who protect them.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Dave – No, you aren’t alone. I think the mindless worship of Order is a contagious thing. I was glad to see that it didn’t win out this time round.
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Mark – Yes. Quite frankly, I was amazed that this ever became an issue, especially after learning more about how the council had actually given the Kids 4 Turtles an award for the signs in the first place. How crazy is that?! Anyhow, good to see that the signs will continue to be maintained.
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robin – I gave a big, “Yay!” too. Initially, I thought this might be yet another one of those “You can’t fight city hall” things, but as momentum built, it seemed that things might actually work out well for a change.
July 5th, 2007 at 11:29 am
That’s a very satisfactory outcome in many ways. I’m very glad you propagated the information, and congratulations to the kids for their spirit.
July 5th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Wayne – I agree — as you say, satisfactory outcome in many ways.
July 5th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
That’s such good news. And what a great experience for those young people. The little guy can make a difference.
July 5th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
That is wonderful news. I always wonder who and why people steal road signs, that might be an education project for the future :-)
July 5th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
I needed a little victory and your post provided it! Thanks, Bev, for letting us know. And I feel good that I was among those 1,193 who signed the petitions! P.S. Thanks, Bev, for your comments on my posts.
July 7th, 2007 at 2:37 am
Good for the turtles!
And now I know where that other Peterborough is. I’ve googled it before, looking for information on the original Peterborough, located about 80 miles north of London, and kept finding out about your Peterborough!
July 7th, 2007 at 5:25 am
I would have loved to been part of those meetings just to first hear the reasoning behind the signs being ‘confusing’ in the first place, and then to listen in on apparently what was an ounce of reasonable thought to reverse it. Good job for the kids.
July 7th, 2007 at 6:55 am
That’s terrific news! Three cheers for turtles!
August 11th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
cool