Lake News
TURTLE UPDATE - 8/30/2026
Message from our Game Warden regarding the dead turtles found in the lake last month:
"When I responded I was able to locate and collect 14 painted turtles that were all floating along the shore near Eben’s way. At one point they had spotted all in a group near the cow and the calf and were blown toward the shore. These turtles have all been sent for necropsy which we will likely be waiting on the results for quite a bit. I spoke with our regional biologist, our wildlife infectious disease biologist, and the State herpetologist about the situation and based on the facts the situation we all believe that whatever happened to the turtles most likely happened in a captivity type situation (ie kept as pets or even just having been collected and kept together in a bucket). What leads us to this conclusion is that they were all experiencing the same level of decomposition (they were not freshly killed) and were still all together in a very small area objectively speaking. This coupled with the fact that no other wildlife was effected and that all the turtles were the same species and all the same size furthers our thought process. Speaking with the state herpetologist, Kevin Ryan, he said that even if the necropsy showed some type of bacterial overload or viral infection, it could be attributed to the captive situation not an issue with the lake. Looking at all the facts together it stands to reason that the lake was just the final resting point for the turtles not the cause of their death".
Eric Rudolph
District Game Warden