Our Turtle Sanctuary
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;the earth is full of your creatures.
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
During yesterday's Giving Tuesday I received at least two requests to help out the turtles. We do support a turtle rescue organization in Peterborough. Turtles are in trouble around the world, including here in southern Ontario. Even though we see turtles regularly as we paddle --Painted, Snapping, occasionally Blandings -- populations of most of the eight Ontario species are struggling for survival. I keep my Winter emergency shovel in our vehicle through the Spring to help turtles across roads and I've stopped on a number of occasions.
On Monday we heard that biodiversity in Canada is in serious decline and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault issued a statement which includes these thoughts:
“Planet earth has been called the Blue Marble—a fragile, nurturing home for all of humanity and all of its other inhabitants. When we protect nature, we also enable nature to care for us. Green, resilient, and healthy neighbourhoods, a clean, low-carbon economy, and thriving ecosystems are the keys to sustainable life on Earth.
“Canadians have a deep connection with nature, and strive to live in harmony with it and care for it. However, our current way of life has had significant impacts on nature. Many of the natural spaces and species we love are under threat from human activity and climate change. Biodiversity loss and climate change are intrinsically connected.
“We are facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis with more than one million species facing extinction globally, including 640 at-risk species in Canada. This rapid decline of biodiversity has critical implications for humanity, from the collapse of food, economic, and health systems, to the disruption of entire supply chains."
I've noted before that I don't worship turtles and they aren't mentioned at all in the bible. Yet scripture does celebrate the diversity of creatures in the world God has brought into being. I'm assuming this includes reptiles. I do appreciate that in different expressions of Indigenous spirituality the Earth is described as "turtle island" and some Christian Indigenous communites of faith have incorporated this imagery in various ways.
As I continue to share art within our home during Advent I come back to this alcove at the top of a staircase where I seem to have collected lots of turtles. The snapping turtle (plastic) underneath the table is difficult to see. Other images have been gleaned here and there, including illustrations from magazines which I've framed. I see them several times a day and I love 'em. The artwork is beautiful, in my estimation, and they remind me of the importance of "living in respect with Creation." (United Church New Creed.)
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