Something strange is going on in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
"This is where the Turtle Man lives," Alexis Boland, who is barely in kindergarten, explains.
Alexis is talking about her neighbor on Gantry Lane.
"For the longest time we didn't even know what his name was," says neighborhood mom Leigh Miller. "We just called him the Turtle Man."
The man they're referring to is retiree Ken Wilson. Wilson has a lake out back filled with turtles.
One day, Wilson invited Alexis and her friends into his backyard and the rest is history.
A few nights a week the children gather round, grab some life jackets, and head out to the lake.
"Do you want to go around and see where they sit in the sun?" he asks the children as he paddles. "Yeah!" they answer in unison.
Turtles are fascinating creatures. Just watch this video of them hatching — they multiply before your eyes!
In 2015, it may seem a little unusual to see children so interested in nature, and not just playing in it, but learning about it as well.
A few strokes of the paddle later, the children ooh and aah over a half-dozen painted turtles perched on a broken tree limb.
Wilson's two daughters are all grown up, and now that he's retired, he's devoted his life to hanging around these curious little kids.
"On my gravestone it's going to say 'Turtle Man,' " he laughs.
See this inspirational story, and SHARE if you hope you can do this for neighborhood kids one day!
