Wild Turtle Week

Join the slow and steady movement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram May 22 – 26, 2023! #WildTurtleWeek is a collaborative initiative between the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to shell-e-brate all things related to turtles for one week, beginning on Monday May 22nd, 2023.

#WildTurtleWeek was created in 2022 by PARC and partners to help elevate turtles and their conservation. The week is centered around World Turtle Day® which occurs on May 23rd each year.

A large snapping turtle on a white background looks to the right of the screen
Snapping Turtle by Sam Stukel/ USFWS

Daily Themes   

  1. Monday, May 22: Turtley Awesome: Why turtles are special
  2. Tuesday, May 23: Turtles Need Our Help: Threats turtles face
  3. Wednesday, May 24: Every Turtle Counts: Turtle populations can’t afford extra losses 
  4. Thursday, May 25: Turtle Power: Turtles play important roles in their ecosystems 
  5. Friday, May 26: Be a Good Turtle Neighbor: Everyone can play a role in helping turtles

Social Media Toolkit   

Are you looking for ideas and/ or inspiration for posts? If so, check out:

The toolkits include sample posts you can copy and paste, photo sources, and more! Be sure to use our official #WildTurtleWeek hashtags and consider tagging PARC! If you are looking for Facebook banners, Facebook turtle pledge posts, and other social media graphics, check out our #WildTurtleWeek Wakelet. The US Fish and Wildlife Service also has a Wild Turtle Week Library and provides graphics, without logos here. Everything is free and available to download and share.

#WildTurtleWeek #EveryTurtleCounts #KeepWildTurtlesWild #WorldTurtleDay

Example Instagram post from our Social Media Toolkit. Click the picture or the Social Media link above for more information.
Facebook banner that says 'Shell-e-brate Wild Turtle Week!'. Below the title are the dates May 22-26, 2023, the PARC logo, and the website link to parcplace.org/wild-turtle-week/. A picture of a box turtle walking to the right is depicted.

2022 Social Media Content

You can find our 2022 social media toolkit here.

Photo Gallery  

Need photos of turtles?! We have you covered! Check out our Flickr album with turtle photos to share. USFWS Flickr Gallery

Video Resources

Interested in short reels to use on social media? We got you covered! Check out this Google Drive from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC) which contains a selection of short clips. We also have them up on our YouTube channel.

US Fish and Wildlife Service and Jeff Corwin Team Up to Keep Turtles Safe from Illegal Trade

Educational Resources  

Use these activities to teach students about threats to turtles, and how they can help:

  • Turtle Activity Pack (2022)– An assortment of printable activities to learn about turtles.
  • Terrapin Travels (2022)– A virtual activity designed to teach about diamond-back terrapins and hazards they face. The activity is written for Maryland but can be adapted.
  • Save the bog turtle: Population game – Act as wildlife managers in charge of rare bog turtles.
  • Where are the turtles? – Explore fluctuations in native turtle populations in response to threats. 
  • Turtle protector pledge – Commit to being a turtle protector.
  • WILD at Schools: Turtle Troubles – Examine the largest and smallest turtles found in Maryland and the threats they face. Compare the life cycle of a land and a sea turtle, then explore different scenarios turtles face to survive through hands on activities before students suggest actions to take to help turtles. For Grades 3-5.

Find more educational activity ideas in Rhode Island’s Scales and Slimes activity kit. 

#EveryTurtleCounts Merchandise

Celebrate #WildTurtleWeek in style and help Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) in the process by purchasing some of our #EveryTurtleCounts gear on Threadless. The design was made specially for PARC by Nina McDonnell.