Painted Turtle
With help from us, these neighbours are re-building their community.
Hotel Lake is home to a unique Pacific Coast subspecies of the Western Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii). These turtles can live to well over 30 years — if they can get through their infancy that is. Hatchlings are left completely on their own to survive the journey from nest to lake, avoiding hungry predators and dealing with the results of human activities which include water pollution and the infilling and erosion of fragile riparian zones.
This subspecies of turtle reproduces less often than painted turtles in other regions - although they lay plenty of eggs when they do. The eggs hatch in the fall and the hatchlings usually spend the winter hibernating in their nest chamber and emerge the following spring. During that time the eggs are vulnerable to raccoons, skunks, coyotes, otters, mink, squirrels, various bird species and domestic cats and dogs. The predation rate can be as high as 90%. Young western painted turtles feed mainly on tadpoles, insects, crayfish and snails, graduating to bigger prey like fish and frogs as they get older. To give them the energy they need for foraging and mating, these turtles will bask in the sun several times a day to raise their temperature. Adult turtles overwinter within the soft, muddy bottoms of lakes and wetlands and emerge when the water temperature reaches 6 degrees Celsius.
This species and its regional population are listed under the Federal Species At Risk Act (SARA) and may be subject to protections under the BC Wildlife Act. Habitat for this species may also be governed under provincial and federal regulations including the Fish Protection Act and Federal Fisheries Act as well as Regional and local municipal bylaws.
Hotel Lake currently has one manufactured nesting beach on private property built and monitored by the Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project. This beach has seen significant turtle nesting activity, hatchlings and consistent sightings of multiple turtles basking on nearby logs.
Turtles are an important part of the lakes ecosystem and need our protection. Be aware of your activities in and around the lake. Avoid interacting with turtles especially near their nesting sites, and when they are basking on logs or along the shoreline. Remember, you are visiting their home. Please be respectful.
In August 2021 traps appeared on Hotel Lake. These were well labeled with an explanation that they were for a "turtle population survey". And here is one of the wonderful folks from Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project on the job. With so much care and attention, our population of Painted Turtles will hopefully thrive if we all take time to learn more ourselves.
The following narrative, written in 2018, is associated with the following video: "Every spring, the Coastal Painted Turtle Project, in Partnership with Wildlife Preservation Canada and the The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (MLWRS) releases endangered baby Western Painted turtles onto protected nesting beaches in several of Metro Vancouver's regional parks - more than 400 turtles to date. In addition, maintenance/enhancement of nesting habitat and tracking of nesting and hatchling success are conducted twice annually, in spring and fall, by the CPTP.
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Our job is far from over once turtles are released. Long-term monitoring is essential to ensure healthy and self-sustaining populations. Continual addressing of ongoing threats (poaching, fishing, habitat destruction/loss, pollution etc.) and emerging threats (climate change, new predation pressures such as predation of eggs and hatchlings by moles and raccoons, competition from invasive slider turtles, and pollution).
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We have put anti-poaching signs up and installed cameras. We also aim to create awareness about the dangers of illegal fishing. Although the turtles are in protected parks, we enhance them by adding suitable nesting areas for turtles as well as basking logs.
We not only work to protect the turtles that we release, but also work on protecting wild turtles."
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Red Eared Slider
One of the threats mentioned above is the highly invasive Red Eared Slider turtle. This turtle has been confirmed to be in Hotel Lake and recent sightings in 2026 underscore the need for vigilance and action. By clicking the link below, you can read a brochure released by BC government that will help you identify and report this invasive turtle. If you see one or are able to capture it, in both cases, please let us know.
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Click here: for information on how to identify and report the invasive Red Eared Slider turtle.
With all this care and attention we hope that the painted turtle population in Hotel Lake will grow and that the species will thrive. In July of 2022 we were able to record this very short video of an inquisitive painted turtle who passed close-by so that we could see how they swim; what a wonderful thing to see!
References
Coastal Partners in Conservation Society: A BC based society: Conserving Species at Risk through science and stewardship: https://www.coastalpartners.ca/
Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project: The Wildlife Project is led by husband-wife team, David Stiles and Michelle Evelyn: https://www.coastwildlife.ca/
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SOUTH COAST CONSERVATION PROGRAM SPECIES PROFILE: Western Painted Turtle – Pacific Coast Population (Chrysemys picta pop.1). Status Global: G5T2 Provincial: S2 SARA: 1-Endangered BC List: Blue: located in our library, click here.