Community members help baby turtles cross the road - KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

On Saturday morning, about 40 families, friends and campers from Whitewater State Park got together to rescue baby turtles.

They walked along County Road 84 searching for them so they can help them get to the other side of the road to the safety of nearby wetlands. On this field trip, participants had to receive required training on how to handle the turtles. They also got to learn about National Wildlife and Fish Rescue, and what animals and insects are facing extinction.

The hope is to open a door to planning other field trips to help other animals cross the road.

"We get out here with the turtles people get excited, and then we can talk about all these other species that also need protection. So it's kind of a, I guess, a gateway ambassador species that leads to a bigger picture, bigger conversation." said Sara Holger, an Interpretive Naturalist.

We're told that just hatching is a big deal because 80 percent of the nests are destroyed by predators.

"I think what's really empowering is when we get families and we get kids out here, these kids see that 'I can make a difference. I can help turtles cross the road, there's things I can do in my yard to help wildlife,'"  said Holger. "The bigger thing is we're really inspiring children and hopefully some of them maybe will go into the Biology field as they grow older."

By noon they had found five little turtles and helped them cross the road.