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 Long Point Biosphere Region in partnership with Long Point Eco-Adventures and Eco-Kare International, the turtle hatchery helps reduce turtle nest mortality through egg incubation, supports critical research on at-risk reptiles, and invites the public to connect with turtles and witness conservation in action.
Why create a turtle hatchery?
Southern Ontario’s turtles are at risk. Several threats challenge their survival:
- Road mortality during nesting season
- Nest predation by raccoons and other wildlife
- Habitat fragmentation
- Slow reproductive rates
All native turtle species in Ontario are listed as Species at Risk. Even losing a small number of adult females can significantly impact local populations. By carefully collecting vulnerable eggs to controlled incubators, the hatchery improves hatchling survival rates. hatchlings are then released back into their native habitat to begin their life in the wild.
In 2025, 31 volunteers released 1,000 turtle hatchlings to the marsh and over 2,500 visitors engaged with the turtle hatchery exhibit or turtle tours at Long Point Eco-Adventures.
A community partnership for conservation
The hatchery is located at Long Point Eco-Adventures, a year-round eco-tourism destination in the biosphere region that welcomes up to 40,000 visitors annually. Long Point Eco-Adventures has partnered with the Long Point Biosphere Region since 2022 to promote stewardship of Species at Risk, support conservation education, and fundraise for local biodiversity programs
The hatchery exhibit is located beside the Welcome Centre and Marshview Patio, making turtle conservation accessible to thousands of visitors each year.
What you can do
The hatchery is located at the Welcome Centre in the Marshview Patio & Bar at Long Point Eco-Adventures (map). The hatchery is open to the public every day in May from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., with additional hours from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the weekends.
For opening day announcements, follow us on Facebook, Instagram or sign up to our mailing list.
Visitors can experience turtle conservation up close through guided Journey to the Water tours. Trained guides and volunteers lead guests through the following activities:
- Hatchling health checks and measurements
- Behind-the-scenes hatchery operations
- The eco-fence system that protects nesting turtles
- Insights into hatchling tracking research
- Biosphere road ecology programs
Upgrade your tour to include the unique experience of releasing turtle hatchlings into the protected Turkey Point marsh.
For more information, visit https://www.lpfun.ca/journey-to-the-water.
The turtle hatchery and road ecology team is always looking for more volunteers to help with patrols, monitoring and releases.
If you’re interested, please submit a volunteer form. Lauren Nightengale, the Long Point Biosphere Region’s volunteer coordinator, will follow up with orientation details.
The Long Point Biosphere Region is a registered charitable organization that relies on support from members and partners to advance biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, knowledge transfer and training, and reconciliation with local Indigenous Peoples across Norfolk County. When you donate to the Long Point Biosphere Region, you’re supporting the long-term health of our lands and waters, strengthening community-based conservation, and empowering local conservation action that protects species at risk.
Visit the hatchery
Creating Safer Roads for Wildlife
Roads remain one of the greatest threats to reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife in the region. The Biosphere Region works with leading road ecology experts to identify high-mortality hot spots, patrol roads for crossing reptiles and amphibians, and construct exclusion fencing to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.