Ever since I was 8 years old and growing up in Germany, I have lived closely with turtles and tortoises, as well as the occasional frog, salamander and snake.  Most of the animals that currently share my home and backyard sanctuary were injured, abandoned or displaced by urban sprawl. 

Here in Nebraska they call me the “Turtle Lady.”

Living in close quarters with animals, I’ve learned they don’t lie. My rescued reptiles and amphibians sensed global warming for decades before Al Gore wrote his bestseller, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

My resident female tortoises, as well as the box and water turtles, used to lay their eggs into a sandhill in the outdoor sanctuary during the months of May or June. But ever since the mid-1980s, I noticed how my shell-armored but otherwise helpless housemates have been trying to dig nestholes a little sooner each year. To date they start digging in early March, which means it’s still too cold in Nebraska to let the animals go outside. So my poor captive charges try, try and try again to dig their nests into the vinyl floor of the sunroom.  It’s a pitiful sight. 

My brothers and sisters from the natural world are distressed by the shift in weather. When I look into the innocent eyes of turtles while I mend their broken shells, and when I look into the innocent eyes of children whom I teach in our schools, I know in my heart that their fates are connected.

I’m pleading with our presidential contenders to include the environment on their list of priorities and support Al Gore in his activism to adopt green policies on a worldwide basis. Without saving and restoring our environment, neither turtles nor children will have a future world to live in.

Angelika T.L. Byorth, Lincoln

Chambers will be missed

I remember when I was a third-grader from Omaha, Ernie Chambers was the only senator who acknowledged us with a smile and a wave, T-shirt and all.

Thanks, Ernie Chambers, for your dedication to the rights of the forgotten, for showing how absurd things can be and following your values. You will be missed, but I am sure there are still many things on your horizon. 

Paul Ries, Lincoln

Where’s the harm in iPods?

In response to “iPods banned from marathon” (The (402), LJS, April 17):

Show me the numbers — how many injuries have there been in any race across the country from listening to one’s iPod? Is it greater than the number of injuries due to improper or other health-related injuries?

There must be some horrific statistic out there for race director Nancy Sutton to make the statement that it’s simply safer for runners to hear what’s going on around them. Prove to me that it’s not safe to listen to music during a race, don’t just tell me it is and expect me to believe it!

As for competitive edge, heaven forbid I should be one of the 5,000 noncompetitive entrants to have a competitive edge! I might just come in 3,510th place instead of 3,515th place!

Kimberly Mann, Lincoln

Head out on a Lincoln Safari

In response to Steve Batie’s excellent Sunday column (HouseWorks, April 13) and Gwen Bedient’s comments the day before (Community Column, April 12), as well as the editorial March 11, let me recommend Lincoln Children’s Zoo’s exciting yearlong Lincoln Safari.

This fun activity is designed to get people of all ages off the couch, away from the tube and outside to explore Lincoln’s parks and other green spaces. Upon registration at the zoo or a Lincoln library, groups receive a Safari bag and a map showing 35 locations to find and enjoy, and there are prizes at some sites.

Get out and experience nature firsthand.

Virginia Opocensky, Lincoln