Carving a message

John Miller’s carving of Blanding’s turtle is on display at Sidestreet Gallery in Wellington

A whittled tribute to the Blanding’s turtle

John Miller needs to stay busy. At 87, he isn’t inclined to sit on his porch and watch the world go by. So he carves. Birds, mostly. But lately, John has been concerned about the plight of the Blanding’s turtle. A developer is seeking to construct nine massive industrial wind turbines on a rare alvar habitat on Crown land at Ostrander Point.

Last spring, a Ministry of Environment review panel revoked the developer’s permit, persuaded that the Blanding’s turtle would suffer serious and irreversible damage from the project. A Divisional Court overturned the panel’s decision in January. Another appeal, set for this fall, will likely have the final say about what happens at Ostrander Point and the fate of the Blanding’s turtle and other endangered species that rely on this special habitat.

Inspired by the story, Miller has carved a Blanding’s turtle and painted it with the distinctive yellow chin and shell fringe. His work is on display at Sidestreet Gallery in Wellington. Miller has included a oftrepeated ode to the turtle, penned on the back of his work.

“The turtle can’t go out to play
Or sell his house or rent it
For when he moves, his house moves too
And nothing can prevent it.”