Welcome! to the newest family members of The Sheriff Creek Wildlife Sanctuary

by Peg Lariviere

I’m a frog hunter from way back. Yes, frog. It was the reptile of choice for me.

On sunny days, in a distant past, my brothers and cousins would spend the morning, afternoon or the whole day in a rowboat going up and down the creek that flowed along the edge of my Aunt and Uncle’s home on Sturgeon Lake. They were always on the lookout for logs warmed by the sun and adorned with painted turtles. Turtles are cold-blooded, or technically, ectothermic, which means they need the sun to warm their bodies. Sometimes, if one or more of the boys had obligations with our parents that they couldn’t escape, I would grudgingly be allowed to take the boat ride with the threat that if I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, I would be returned to the dock and tossed over the side to become fodder for TABLE TOP, the giant snapper that lived under the dock. Trust me, this wasn’t an idle threat. He was real! Every now and then, we’d see this huge, shadowy turtle swim out and head either up the creek or out into the lake.

The frog pond between the lake and my Aunt and Uncle’s house was my domain. It was the first place I would go when I arrived for the summer holiday, and the last place I would be reluctantly escorted from when Labour Day rolled around. Have you ever been bitten by a frog? I have - by a giant bullfrog. It was a traumatic experience that has stayed with me throughout my life :)

Enjoy your visit to Sheriff Creek.

Looking harmless …..Photo by Crystal Jones, unsplash