Karen Lynn

Learn and explore your community by searching for Earth Month related items, BINGO-style. Open to all CLEAResult employees signed up for the EcoChallenge: Earn 100 bonus RecogNation points for completing a winning bingo! Participants who submit a winning bingo card as well as a photo of their team/individuals will be entered into a drawing for one of three rewards of 500 RecogNation points. Cards due May 5 to qualify for the points. Click on Learn More to download the bingo card and read more details.

In celebration of Earth Day, the Serve Up Savings and EnergySmart Grocer program team for National Grid and RI Energy took a day of service to work with the Nashua River Watershed Association to help restore crucial nesting grounds for five native species of turtle, three of which are endangered. The site is highly protected and considered one of the most important nesting areas in all New England. It’s so important, we were sworn to secrecy and asked to not disclosure the location as some of the turtles are so rare, they have monetary value on the black market. The weather was a blazing 90 degrees, which is highly unusual for mid-April in New England. The team removed saplings that were invading the nesting grounds with root systems and providing too much shade for the eggs to reach the warm temperature needed to mature. We were not allowed to use gas powered equipment so all the saplings were cut manually with hand saws or lopers, and then dragged 200 yards to the edge of a road so they could be recycled and composted. The turtles affected are the spotted turtle, wood turtle, and blanding turtle, which are endangered or threatened, and the snapping and painted turtles, both of which are not endangered. Loss and fragmentation of habitat are the greatest threats to all turtles, with roads and cars being one of the biggest threats. “Only about 1% of the offspring survive, between predation and roads,” we were told by the watershed scientist in charge of the event. After the turtle lays her eggs, she promptly leaves and returns to the river or pond she lives in. Scientists and volunteers from the Nashua River Watershed Association then install metal wire cages deep into the sandy soil around the nest to protect the eggs from being dug up for a meal by foxes, skunks, or coyotes. Then nests are checked 2-3 times a day to ensure they are safe. Once the baby turtles hatch, they are escorted to the river safely instead of letting the babies fend for themselves. All these interventions help ensure these species survive and populations are supported. The CLEAResult team was thanked for the huge impact helping them support these nesting areas, and despite the heat, we all enjoyed contributing to the cause and seeing the immediate results of our efforts.