Fairfax turtles find a new home up the pond in Manassas
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - The City of Fairfax is removing accumulated sediment and debris that flows down into the pond and improving the pond’s water quality.
Dredging the pond increases its water holding capacity and prevents pollutants from reaching the Accotink Creek Watershed.
What happens to the turtles once the Ashby Pond is drained?
Satoshi Eto, public works program manager, addresses the public concern about the popular turtles in the City of Fairfax. The turtles will be safely relocated weeks before dredging and construction of Ashby Pond.
Eto said that Rimkus, the nonprofit he established for turtle preservation, "has been doing test captures to determine what species are in the pond, and has selected three locations in Manassas that will be suitable habitats for these turtles."
The turtles will be relocated to ponds that currently don’t have a turtle population.
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When will the Ashby Pond turtles be captured?
The capturing process will begin shortly after July 4 and continue throughout the month. Traps will be set along the perimeter of the pond and will be checked daily and transported to Manassas the same day.
The Department of Natural Resources granted a permit to Eto and his assistants to relocate the turtles.
Fairfax City said that "the DNR permit restricts handling of the turtles to the specific permits, and the relocation work only requires a small group of people, so additional volunteers are not necessary to rescue the turtles."
What will happen to the turtles that were transported from Ashby Pond to Manassas?
The turtles will not be transported back once they are relocated to Manassas. It is expected for the turtle population to come back naturally after pond construction, naturally with the process of migration.