AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Keeping the lights on is a big job, but in Agawam, it’s also about keeping the local wildlife safe. Utility crews are trading their tool belts for “turtle sweeps” as part of a unique training program. Western Mass News headed over to “turtle-palooza” to show us how sharp eyes and even a special dog is saving lives under the power lines.

Eversource held its 15th annual Turtle-Palooza on Wednesday, deep in the tall grass of Agawam, a different kind of search is underway. It’s not for looking for ticks — it’s for this little turtle, “our crews learn methods, means and methods for searching for and relocating turtles prior to our work starting, and relocating them at the end after the work’s finished as part of our operation,” Said Eversource’s Environmental Permitting Department Manager Matt Waldrip.

This isn’t just a feel-good exercise — the area is home to the largest known local population of eastern box turtles in this part of the state. Because they love to hide, crews have to learn how to spot them before the heavy machinery moves in, with help from a dog named Moby and her handler Scott, “we basically teach them about a little bit of biology and ecology of turtles, what they look like, how to identify them, and then we take them out into the field and give them an opportunity to try to find turtles.”

Once found, the turtles are notched on their shells so they can be tracked and then moved safely out of harm’s way. It’s a 15-year tradition proving that providing power and protecting nature can go hand-in-hand, “it’s become an event that is really celebrated. It’s cool to see how much it’s grown, but also how much it’s been embraced by our, not just our employees, but our contractors as well, taking on that environmental stewardship ethic that we’re trying to pass down to them,” Waldrip said.

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