Snapping turtles lure fish with a worm-like tongue and strike fast. Finding one inside my pond was a nightmare scenario. We had to move quickly before it did more damage. What followed was intense.

Locally, turtles' nesting season runs from about mid-May to mid-June. Motorists kill thousands of turtles trying to cross roads to get to their nesting sites. Seven of the state's 10 native turtle ...