Turtle and Fish Rescue, November 2004 through March 2005

In December 2004, a caller notified RMAD that the Legett Canal along 63rd St. in Boulder had suddenly been drained, leaving snapping turtles, painted box turtles, fish and other animals to freeze to death.

Unable to get help from state and local agencies, RMAD mobilized activists from around Boulder and beyond; numerous other groups joined in to pull the animals out of the frozen muck and to relocate them to an adjacent pond. If we hadn't acted quickly, they would not only have frozen to death but likely have been the victims of large machines reshaping the canal.

All told, RMAD and friends rescued some 1500-plus animals, including huge snapping turtles older than many of the rescuers.