Carolynne Crawley is the co-founder of Turtle Protectors/Mishiikenh Gizhaasowin, along with Jenny Davis (not pictured). (Bella Policarpio/Toronto Observer)
Written by Centennial College Journalism Students: Kismet Lally and Isabella Policarpio
Turtle Protectors/Mishiikenh Gizhaasowin aim to protect Toronto’s turtles
In June 2021, Carolynne Crawley and Jenny Davis met a mother snapping turtle in High Park who became the inspiration, or as they would call her, the founder, of their Toronto initiative.
Crawley is the founder of Msit No’kmaq and is a member of the Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle. She has Mi’kmaw, Black and Irish ancestry and has worked as a child and youth worker for two decades. Davis is an outdoor educator and has developed programs for High Park Nature Centre, helping people connect to nature and their cultures at the same time.
After spending four hours with the turtle, watching her return to her nesting site and lay her eggs, the pair ensured she safely returned to water. This mother turtle would be the first of many to be supported by Crawley and Davis.
The following year, with guidance from Grandmother Vivian Recollet, an Anishinaabe elder from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory located on Manitoulin Island, they worked to form an Indigenous and volunteer-led organization called Turtle Protectors, also known as Mishiikenh Gizhaasowin in Anishinaabemowin.
Watch: Carolynne Crawley talks about Turtle Protectors/Mishiikenh Gizhaasowin. Story continues below.
Why turtles matter
Turtles, a species at risk from human impact, help keep the waters clean. By consuming decomposing plants and animals, turtles spread nutrients around and create habitats for other aquatic creatures. Without turtles, the waters could become dirty and inhabitable quickly.
In the absence of an established local organization to protect the species, Turtle Protectors support and advocate for turtles found in various Toronto parks. The organization started at High Park with about two dozen volunteers.
Now in their fifth year, the Turtle Protectors have more than 260 volunteers and work out of 11 different Toronto Parks.
Through Indigenous ways of holding relationships, there is the belief that all life is sacred and has purpose. Crawley explained the responsibility that we have, both individually and collectively, to foster a respectful and thankful relationship with all creatures.
“Turtles are a species at risk,” Crawley says, “and they’re really important, just like all of creation.”
A Turtle Protectors sign posted in Toronto’s High Park, where Crawley and Davis first helped the turtle who inspired their initiative (Bella Policarpio/Toronto Observer)
Volunteers come from various backgrounds and identities across Toronto, varying in age and gender. All sign up to help turtles found on land return to water and assist in educating others.
The organization is open to anyone willing to help, and aims to bring a community of people together who can feel they are making a difference through protecting these creatures.
Through protecting mother turtle nests, to placing hatchlings by the edge of water, these volunteers do what they can for Toronto’s turtles.
“We can all be Turtle Protectors,” Crawley says.
To learn more about volunteering as a Turtle Protector, visit turtleprotectors.com.
This series, in partnership with Centennial College, shines a light on the people, organizations, and ideas strengthening communities across Toronto. Throughout the year, Centennial College journalism students are reporting from across the city, surfacing stories that celebrate local leadership, strengthen neighbourhood connections and inspire more people to take part in the communities they call home. Read more stories here and learn more about the partnership here.
Toronto Foundation supported Turtle Protectors through a 2025 Vital Signs grant and also included the organization in its 2026 Good to Give Guide.