Discover the Long Point Turtle Hatchery
Only 1 in 200 turtle hatchlings will survive to adulthood and just 2% will make it to their 5th birthday. The Long Point Turtle Hatchery was created to give them a better chance.
Led by the Biosphere in partnership with Long Point Eco-Adventures, our turtle hatchery gives a boost to turtle populations through egg incubation and hatchling releases. Our work supports critical research on recruitment strategies for these at-risk reptiles, while inviting the public to witness conservation in action.
What is the Turtle Hatchery?
Quite simply, our hatchery is a small, public exhibit decked out with reptile incubators that protect turtle eggs from environmental hazards and predators until hatching. The eggs are collected from vulnerable roadside nests, cleaned, documented, and carefully transported to our exhibit for the 7-8 weeks it takes to hatch. After that, these lucky babies will be released directly into the marsh within a kilometer of their original nest site.
Why Create a Turtle Hatchery?
The Long Point Biosphere Region owes its designation and international significance to its vast network of wetland habitat. In terms of the ecosystem services these habitats provide, there’s nothing like them in North America. From flood control to water filtration to biodiversity to carbon sequestration, they have the equivalent value of the coral reef to the ocean. With that in mind, our wetlands absolutely depend on turtles to function. They serve as custodians and janitors by gobbling up dead plant and animal matter, keeping everything clean and healthy. And all 8 of Ontario’s turtle species are at risk due to:
- Road mortality
- Nest predation (raccoons, possums, etc.)
- Habitat fragmentation
- Slow reproductive rates
If one adult female turtle is killed, it can take 100 years for her to be replaced by another adult female.
In the Biosphere, our turtles’ number one threat is adult road mortality. Losing even a small number of adult females can significantly impact local populations for decades to come. For this reason, our citizen-science program Wildlife Road Watch was born. Our volunteers patrol roads along known turtle nesting hotpots, help nesting females cross roads safely, protect them while they lay their eggs, and ensure they return to the marsh afterwards. Permitted volunteers then excavate eggs most at risk for delivery to our hatchery, as saving their offspring was a natural next step.
By collecting these vulnerable eggs and incubating them in safety, we drastically improve hatchling survival rates. 90% of wild nests are eaten by predators, and for the few survivors, developed areas are a death sentence for toonie-sized turtles where roads and lawns stand between them and the marsh habitat they need.
A Community Partnership for Conservation
The hatchery is located at Long Point Eco-Adventures, a year-round eco-tourism destination located in Norfolk County operating within the Biosphere that welcomes up to 40,000 visitors annually. Long Point Eco-Adventures has been in partnership with the Long Point Biosphere Region since 2022 to promote stewardship of species at risk, support conservation education, and fundraise for local biodiversity programs.
How to Support Our Work
Visit the Hatchery
The hatchery is located at the Welcome Centre in the Marshview Patio & Bar at Long Point Eco-Adventures. The hatchery begins operation in June as soon as our turtles start laying, and hatching starts at the end of July through to September.
Hatchlings will be health-checked, measured, weighed, and sorted every day in August from 3-4pm, where our program coordinators and volunteer Biosphere Ambassadors will be available to answer questions and show off our adorable babies.
Our turtle hatchery is the only public-facing turtle egg incubation program, as its main goal – besides saving hatchlings – is to draw attention to the importance of our turtles, and the threat they face on roads. For every adult turtle saved from traffic, that’s as valuable as incubating and releasing 100 hatchlings!
Book a Hatchery Tour & Release
In August, participate in Journey to the Water: a 3-hour guided tour where attendees are invited to participate in a hatchling release.
For more information, visit the Eco-Adventure’s event page.
Volunteer
The LPBR is always looking for more volunteers for their Biosphere Ambassador and Wildlife Road Watch Programs.
If you are interested, please fill out our volunteer form.
Donate
This work is made possible with support from our community. Please click here to donate. Our 2026 field season was funded entirely through small dollar donations!
