Endangered turtles get a boost

With the help of volunteers and wildlife officials, the Oregon Zoo returned 22 endangered northwestern pond turtles to the Columbia River Gorge this week.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife biologists collected the turtles as hatchlings from sites in the Gorge last spring. From there, they were taken to the zoo’s conservation lab, where wildlife experts provided heat lamps and plentiful food to help the turtles grow quickly.