Week of August 3, 2025 – August 9, 2025
by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator
Here at Baltimore Woods we have some very special staff members (in addition to the humans) that will usually greet you with a smile! I’m talking about our ambassador turtles: Fern, Geronimo, Lucy, and Mr. T! Ambassador animals play an integral and unique role in any nature center, allowing visitors to closely observe them and form meaningful connections.
Fern is an energetic and attention-seeking Wood Turtle. She absolutely loves when people come up to her tank and if you are in the Interpretive Center and do not say “hello” to her, she just might scratch on her window or noisily dive into her water to turn your attention towards her. Many times while the (human) staff are meeting inside and not doting on her relentlessly she will gracefully dive into her water making loud splashes and climb up onto the land being as loud as possible. I love to sit with her and tell her how beautiful she is and I know many visitors like to do the same! She truly has a one of a kind personality that makes her such a special ambassador animal.
The other three turtles are Box Turtles named Lucy, Geronimo, and Mr. T. They live upstairs in the Interpretive Center off public display but all three are still ambassador animals as they travel into Syracuse each spring visiting all the kindergarten classrooms for the Baltimore Woods Nature in the City program! This Nature in the City lesson is all about how to tell if something is alive or not alive and it is definitely a core memory for many students.
Mr. T is the biggest of the Box Turtles and he is the only boy. He has beautiful orange coloration on his head and legs, which is always noticed and appreciated by the students and teachers. Mr. T has a strong personality, letting you know when he’s not in the mood for attention by hissing and shrinking back into his shell. Although, most of the time he is perked up in his tank excited to receive some words of affirmation!
Lucy is a gorgeous Box Turtle with a rather chill personality. In her tank Lucy is either taking a beat in her water, standing upright eager for dinner, or burrowed in her substrate with her cute little head poking out. She is a veteran when it comes to meeting kids and the kids definitely feed off of her relaxed energy.
Geronimo definitely lives up to her name. She is so much fun to bring to classrooms; her lively personality excites the students and her adorable face is irresistible! Geronimo always seems to have a smile on her face (and in her eyes) and it brightens my day to see her as it does for the kids who get to meet her. But, don’t be fooled by her permanent smile, Geronimo can be sassy at times too, hissing at you if you’ve woken her up too early in the morning or just for fun if she feels like it, but that’s what makes Geronimo Geronimo!
These four turtles are way more than just educational tools and partners, they are animals with widely different and amazing personalities that I have come to be so fond of and I know many students, visitors, and campers have too.