Stuck in the Mud: Anniversary of the Crystal Lake Rescue

Carsonia Park is a beautiful green space in Lower Alsace and Exeter Townships, Berks County. With 27-acres of wooded areas, picnic spots, and the large Crystal Lake, Carsonia Park has been well loved by Berks County residents for over 100 years. It was originally an amusement park that closed in 1950 and became a wildlife area used for fishing and trail walking. Recently, the park has undergone a huge change with concerning effects on local wildlife. 

Led by the Mount Penn Borough Municipal Authority, a dredging project was proposed in 2024. After years of sediment build up, Crystal Lake was filled with hazardous sediment and waste. This build up made the lake about 3 ft deep instead of its natural 10ft, and caused harmful algae blooms that deplete the oxygen in the water. By dredging the lake and clearing the sediment, drinking water supplies in aquifers throughout the park would be protected from contamination, and water quality would improve for about 30,000 households throughout the Antietam Valley. 

This 3 Phase project sounded great to local residents like Lori Lilley who has lived near the park for years. “People love [Carsonia Park] and feel very protective of it. My husband and I grew up going there, we had one of our first dates there and we walked our dogs there all the time,” Lilley said. The park is not only frequented by community members, but also by a variety of wildlife including multiple species of turtles, birds (like the shorebird Killdeer which have been nesting there for many seasons), and deer. Dredging the lake would have an impact on these wild lives, but the project leaders let the community know that the team had taken precautions to make sure impacted wildlife would be relocated prior to the start of the project. 

The project was set to begin in the summer of 2025, but was delayed until November 2025. This new start date put hundreds of hibernating animals at risk, including turtles which brumate for the winter. Brumation is very similar to hibernation except the animal is not in a deep sleep, but instead retains an awareness of their environment and continues to drink water. Turtles brumate in deep mud at the bottoms of lakes and ponds. The draining of Crystal Lake interrupted the brumation of these turtles with fatal consequences. 

It was March before photos were leaked of the drained lake: dozens of dead fish, snails, and turtles belly up on the muddy and cracked ground of Crystal Lake. Lilley and other community members were outraged. “They ‘claim’ they tried to save fish and some turtles but the lake froze over faster than they thought it would. So the story is some fish were taken to a private pond about a half hour from [Crystal Lake] and they took a few turtles over to the creek that the lake drains into,” said Lilley. For months after there was only a shallow stream running through the dredged lake that led to a larger area of water, maybe a foot deep and 5 foot wide where the surviving turtles were congregating. 

If the project had begun in summer, the resident turtles would have followed the receding water to a nearby spring-fed area about 10ft deep where they could have brumated safely. But when the turtles woke up to the water gone and only mud remaining, they were forced to dig their way out of the mud and then walk to that foot deep safe zone. Walking is difficult for turtles, especially during their brumation cycle when their body’s metabolisms have slowed. Many turtles died from getting stuck in the mud, exhausting themselves from effort, or getting hypothermia from the freezing winter. 

Lilley knew she had to do something. After 3 days of calling around to get help, Lilley got through to Aark where our Clinic Director, Amanda, agreed to help. Lilley then went to the next project meeting to get permission to help the turtles and any other wildlife. “I pled my case. I told them these animals don't have a voice and can't save themselves. They are suffocating or freezing to death. They allowed me to help.”

The first time Lilley, Amanda, our Education Director, Nick, and another concerned community member set out on a rescue mission it was a mess. Most of the dredged lake was inaccessible as their boots sunk into the mud like quicksand. The rest was dry and cracked. “We found over 30 deceased turtles, way too many dead fish, some crayfish, and easily hundreds of dead snails. It was infuriating and sad,” said Lilley.

The first two days, they rescued only 4 living turtles. From then on, Lilley, her husband, and a community member, Tammy, searched for turtles whenever they could. “I would bring the turtles home and keep them safe for a few days and about once a week, my husband and I would drive them to Aark where Amanda and Nick would take over and make sure they were safe, healthy and cared for.” From March 2025 to the end of June they saved 34 turtles including snappers, musk turtles, painted turtles, and red-eared sliders. 

Aark Wildlife received special permission from the PA Fish and Boat Commission to release the snappers and painted turtles a few miles away at Antietam Lake, but the musk turtles remain at our clinic. Musk turtles don’t move around a lot and have very specific habitat needs which makes it difficult to find a suitable place to relocate them. Additionally, if relocated, they may try to find their way back home which can be dangerous for them. Finally, because there are so many of them, we don’t want to add to another musk turtle population and throw off the balance of the pond or stream. 

March 2026 marked one year since the musk turtles arrived at Aark Wildlife. During that year, we incubated and hatched around 25 musk turtle eggs. These baby musk turtles will also be released back into Crystal Lake when the project is complete. Currently, we have 49 musk turtles in total: 18 adults, 5 yearlings, and 26 hatchlings.

Although Lilley was done rescuing turtles, she didn’t stop being involved with the project. In June 2025, Aark Wildlife and Lilley had a table at the local Farmers Market to let people ask questions, donate to Aark, and see some of the turtles. Then in July, she organized a cleanup with Antietam Valley Community Partnership to remove much of the trash around the lake before the water level rose. Finally, in December, Lilley organized a Christmas basket raffle with the Farmers Market to raise donations that supported the care of the musk turtles at Aark. “I knew how much the incubators were that Aark had to add because of all the turtles having babies, not to mention how much it cost to feed them, medical care etc. and I just appreciated more than words, the help they were giving us.” That amazing community raised $1000 for Aark. 

We are so thankful for the Carsonia Park community supporting us while we continue to care for the musk turtles from Crystal Lake, especially since it remains unclear when the project will be complete. During the summer of 2025 the first dredge was finished and the lake filled up. Phase 2 was scheduled to start in fall 2025, but due to a lack of funding, the project was pushed off until July 2026. 

At Aark, we care for over 5,000 animals every year. The ability to operate comes from the support of communities and donors. If you are able, please consider donating to the care of these turtles while we house them at Aark. The Crystal Lake turtles were the unfortunate victims of a well-meant but ill-advised project and we want to continue to do what we can for them while their home is rebuilt. Thank you for your continued support of our mission! 

From left to right: Nick Brewster (Education Director), Lori Lilley, and Amanda Leyden (Clinic Director) at Crystal Lake to rescue turtles.