Driving in the rain this week, I pulled off to go check out what appeared to be a possible turtle flipped over onto its shell. Lots of turtle sightings lately, as they are still on the move. This and every year, I and many other motorists I have met on country roads have helped turtles in roads make it the rest of the way across, always in the direction the turtle was going because I have always understood if you do otherwise, they are just going to set out again in the direction they were going before being interrupted by someone trying to keep them from getting run over.

Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has a set of tips in a May 2021 post, “Turtle crossing” on the department’s website. I found the post by Googling Maine turtle road. For the safety of people and turtles, these are good to read before next attempting, or first attempting, to aid a turtle’s crossing:

“If ... there is no oncoming traffic, allow the turtle to continue crossing without help. Observe from a distance to ensure it safely reaches the other side. If traffic is coming, don’t put yourself or others in danger, wait until traffic has slowed or stopped before assisting.

“If you pick a turtle up to assist, handle it carefully. Gently grasp the shell edge near the mid-point of the body with two hands and bring the turtle in the direction it is heading.

“Try to place the turtle at least 30 feet away from the roadside. Do not attempt to move the turtle to a different area, as the turtle will attempt to return to its original spot.

“Never grab a turtle by its tail – it could (dislocate) its spine.

“If the turtle is large and heavy, such as a snapping turtle, you can use a car mat to slide the turtle with.”

On other turtle-helping fronts, the post says “if a turtle is nesting on your property, erect a simple barrier around the nest once the turtle has left the area to protect the eggs from possible disturbance or predation.” For other ways to help, visit https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/20-MDIFW-24-R&M-RAI.pdf

And that possible turtle flipped onto its shell? It turned out to be a plastic food dish with an also plastic attached lid. I was glad it was not a turtle, but we have all seen birds in the road checking out people’s fast food wrappers and other trash. So with my boot I skidded the trash out of the road. I did not have gloves on so that is as far as I went.

Week’s positive parting thought: Make sure of your safety in all things, because you cannot help a turtle or anyone else if something happens to you.