“We seek justice, not just for ourselves, but justice for the whole creation.”
— Audrey Shenandoah (Onondaga)
The Turtle Crossing
BY TRACY BASILESeconds after the car crushed your shell
and blood dripped to the pavement,
with no facial muscles or vocal chords
you let out a gasp, mouth wide open,
a hiss I’ll never forget.
What a Turtle Knows
BY TRACY BASILELast week I witnessed a snapping turtle get terribly injured in the middle of rush-hour traffic. Getting her across the street and on to a facility where she can heal wasn’t easy. It made me realize what people like Natasha Nowick of Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts go through every day. It’s surprising to learn that injured turtles can often recover to a life in the wild if given proper care and time to heal, something her organization excels at. Her interview begins right here.
Beaver Medicine
BY TRACY BASILEWith wildfires and droughts surging as global temperatures soar, how much more can we endure before the North American beaver can be seen as a creator of valuable wetlands habitat and a steward of life, instead of a pest?
A More Connected World
BY TRACY BASILE“Begin anywhere.” — John Cage
Cage’s quote is a reminder that just the act of starting something takes courage. Still, no matter where this blog begins, I want to get it right, but already I sense a problem with the word “animal.” Indeed, animals is what this blog is about, but the word carries with it a sense of othering that needs to be exposed.
Decolonizing the World in Turtle Time
BY TRACY BASILETurtles* date back an incredible 230 million years to a time before the dinosaurs, before most mammals, and before birds. Before there were even continents. Their evolutionary history goes so far back, in fact, that we could almost begin their story with these three words:
Our Mission
This website is dedicated to all who have ever wondered about shifting away from a colonial mindset, acknowledging the brilliance of animals, and learning what it means to live here on Turtle Island together.
We seek to draw lessons from the Indigenous peoples who have built ties with their animal relatives lasting thousands of years.
