Here in Ottawa, at the national office, we primarily deal with national/federal issues. Our chapters deal with regional/provincial issues and our local groups obviously deal with local issues.
Nonetheless, sitting around the office one staff meeting day, a local Ottawa population of Blanding's Turtle made it into the conversation. This species of turtle is a very distinctive, fairly large turtle with a yellow belly and can live to be 75 years old. They are also listed as a threatened species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and as an endangered species by the 2007 Ontario Endangered Species Act.
These turtles call a pristine piece of wetland home, which is located just a short drive from Parliament Hill and is one of the few remaining large swaths of green space in Ottawa.