On June 22 volunteers from the Sandhills Prairie Refuge Association worked with Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Staff to repair one of several fences along Highway 83 that reduce road kill of turtles . When the section of US Highway 83 passing through Valentine National Wildlife Refuge was upgraded, fences to reduce road kill of Blanding’s turtles were installed along the road. The Blanding’s is a long lived turtle that is rare in many places but fairly common on the refuge. It has been quite a few years since the fences were put in and they are in need of repair in places. Workers cleaned dirt out of the turtle underpass, cut trees out of the fence, picked up litter including car parts where vehicles had damaged the fence, and replaced damaged fence. A generous SPRA member bought lunches for the group! Thanks to all who worked hard to complete the repairs.
Volunteers Team Up with Refuge Staff to Repair Turtle Fences
