06/30/2026
Sometimes the safest route is underground 🐢
Wildlife officials in Maine say the state's first turtle tunnel is helping endangered Blanding's turtles safely cross beneath a busy highway instead of risking traffic above. Motion-activated cameras have documented the turtles using the crossing, along with hundreds of other animals, including snapping turtles, salamanders, muskrats, and mink.
The tunnel was installed in 2021 to reconnect wetlands separated by the roadway. Since then, officials say they haven't recorded a single Blanding's turtle road death at the crossing, highlighting how wildlife crossings can help animals move safely through fragmented habitat.
