We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly Olson and Katie O’Halloran a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly and Katie, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

In October of 2023, co-founder Kelly had an encounter with turtle road mortality that left a lasting impact. After moving into a house situated between two marshland areas, she noticed turtles crossing the busy intersection outside her home office daily. Determined to help, she began conducting regular “turtle sweeps” on the hour during the spring, summer, and fall months. One day, while rushing to save two large painted turtles in the street, a truck came around the bend and struck them just feet away from her. Although they survived the initial hit, both turtles were too severely injured to be transported to a rehabilitation facility.

The incident (which involved a small mental breakdown in the street and an impassioned moment in the large format sign printing department of Minnetonka Office Max) ignited a series of conversations with neighbors, friends, and family. The question she needed to answer was clear: do people care about turtles being hit by cars, or is this just an accepted reality?

The answer was resounding: people absolutely care. However, we face what we call here at TurtlTracker a “difference-making deficit”—a sense that the problem is too big, leaving people unsure of how to help. That’s exactly why we created this project: to show that many small actions can have a big impact and to empower people to make a tangible difference and speed up conservation efforts for this, well… very slow species. Kelly teamed up with her sister, a highly skilled AI engineer who manages the technical cloud-based architecture, a small engineering team and finances. We are excited to beta-launch in Minnesota in the spring of 2025.

CONTEXT ON APP:

Turtle road mortality is an urgent issue that we believe can be addressed with the right technology and the support of a passionate community. Despite being seen as a “common” animal, over 60% of turtle species are endangered or threatened. Research shows that even a 3% additive decline in turtle populations can have catastrophic effects, and turtles are especially vulnerable to road mortality due to their behaviors and life cycles.

In Minnesota it’s especially critical — an estimated 100,000 turtles are hit by vehicles each year, including 1,000 from rare species. Our threatened Blanding’s turtles love to wander, with home ranges nearly twice the footprint of the Mall of America. At TurtlTracker, we aim to speed up conservation efforts for one of our slowest—and most at-risk—species.

TurtlTracker is a free, scalable app and social platform powered by AI that empowers conservation novices and enthusiasts alike to make a meaningful impact. Anyone with a phone can contribute accurate data on turtle migration, mobility, and road mortality patterns. This data is then shared with verified conservation partners to bolster their efforts and prioritize areas in need of protection. Turtle location data will be kept secure from the public (for the turtle’s privacy and safety, of course). We bring in elements of “gamification” to make our app fun and shareable—with an emphasis on community.

TurtlTracker also includes user-friendly educational tools to teach best practices for helping turtles cross roads and adopting simple, turtle-friendly habits (see a turtle, track a turtle!). Our beta testing launches in Minnesota in spring 2025, and we’re excited to work together toward a biodiverse, turtle-friendly future. You can sign up to be the first to try TurtlTracker on their website (turtltracker.com) or donate via their website to help fund app development.

Kelly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Kelly has been an animal enthusiast since day one, with a special love for frogs, toads and turtles. She has always had an acute sensitivity to insensitivity—especially when it comes to animal road mortality. The first time she saw an animal hit by a car she was 6, and (true story!) had to be transported to the local ER to breathe out of a paper bag for 45 minutes. Kelly currently works as a senior-level art director at a local healthcare marketing agency, and views this passion project as a return to her authentic self.

Katie is a software engineer specializing in AI, with a keen interest in leveraging technology to support environmental conservation. Originally from Minnesota and now based in Dallas, Texas, she is passionate about creating low-barrier solutions that empower individuals to contribute to a more sustainable and biodiverse future. She remembers fondly what she called “big nights” in her childhood, where what seemed like thousands of small frogs would cross the road near her house.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Our work has been deeply inspired by Ben Goldfarb’s Crossings, which explores the impact of roads on wildlife, as well as his powerful environmental journalism piece for The Atlantic, “America is Telling Itself a Lie About Roadkill.” His research underscores the urgent need for infrastructure solutions that prioritize wildlife safety—something we see firsthand with turtle road mortality. Additionally, Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery has been a source of insight, reinforcing the importance of conservation efforts. These works have shaped our approach, driving us to create innovative, community-driven solutions that make a real impact.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Believe it or not, we are actually sisters! While we share a deep love for the environment and a vision for a more biodiverse future, our skill sets are different. Kelly is a designer and art director with a focus on experiential design and branding campaigns, leading our efforts in PR and networking. Katie, on the other hand, is an AI engineer, handling the technical side of our project while also managing finances. Together, we bring a unique blend of creativity, strategy, and innovation to drive our mission forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://turtltracker.com
• Instagram: @turtltracker
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/turtltracker
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellycohalloran/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-o-halloran-23bb7181/

Image Credits

Madeira Creative (@madeiracreative)