By the end of May, the girls were on a mission to find a way to thank Viviana, the wildlife conservationist who earnestly jumped into the role of Spring Lake Adventure Club mentor.

A shopping expedition to find the perfect thing for Vivi almost went terribly wrong. 😉

Fortunately, a crafty and clever SLAC-ker found the perfect project— she made small custom turtle necklaces for the three young club members and one large turtle necklace for Viviana. This was just one piece of the ‘thank you extravaganza’ the girls planned to present to their mentor at an upcoming party.

After craft time, a couple of the girls buried a dead opossum (found and retrieved from under a deck by one of their dads).

The science graveyard is getting crowded.

After that, they found two baby red-eared slider turtles.

They carefully examined the differences in markings on the turtles’ carapaces (upper shell)…

…and plastrons (belly shell). Then they let the little turtles go on their way.