According to the Chinese calendar, 2018 is the Year of the Dog.

According to the Spring Lake Adventure Club, March 2018 was the Month of the Turtle.
Evidence: Turtley fun March 9-10, March 12, March 21, and March 30-31.

Unfortunately, April 2018 was not full of turtely fun.

Instead, we found an adult snapping turtle floating in Spring Lake on a day when the young SLAC-kers were away. Knowing the girls would want to examine its bones—and that the adults would not want to smell a water-bound, decaying turtle—we attempted to remove its floating body from the lake, but we couldn’t get it to budge. It was as if a magnetic forcefield held it captive. Turns out a fishing line can be quite strong. We didn’t have to consult with an expert this time. We knew the exact cause of death: strangulation/drowning. Please, for the sake of living things, clean up your fishing lines.

Once he was cut loose, a very sad adult buried him in the science graveyard. She said a word of thanks for his contribution to educating the kids, but it wasn’t nearly the ceremony the SLAC-kers held for Herry.

Side note: We learned he was a he because an adult SLAC-ker texted a photo to a SLAC-ker kid known for her skill at identifying turtle gender – Viviana confirmed the gender ID later.

The girls used fluffy, sparkly pom-poms to mark the burial sites of other animals. The adult who buried this turtle is not nearly so creative.