sending down

It looks like a snapping turtle to me. The shape of its head, snout, and carapace says snapper. Those are called snappers for a reason. They have a strike as fast and any snake and the head can extend forward at least 1/3 the length of its shell. They have an exceedingly strong bite and once locked onto an object may not let go without serious prodding. When provoked by a strong stick, they have been known to grab the stick and hang on hard enough to be lifted off the ground. That turtle has been wounded and it was more than a hit from a hawk. At this time of the year, snapping turtles emerge from their winter homes, looking to eat, mate, and lay eggs. Likely, this one was looking for a place to lay its eggs.

@Ashley P Here is an interesting article about range hoods that might help you understand how helpful they can be for homeowners. I am beyond grateful to have mine. I had to change my kitchen around a bit. Its too bad you couldn't switch your island range with your sink. Stove Hoods To Keep Pollution Out Of The Kitchen Hot summer days often mean air pollution warnings in big cities. But the air inside your kitchen can sometimes be just as harmful. Cooking fumes from your stove are supposed to be captured by a hood over the range — but even some expensive models aren't that effective. Jennifer Logue spends a lot of time thinking about what happens when she cooks. She's a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, where she studies indoor air pollution. "You spend 70 percent of your time in your home," says Logue. "And what you do in your home has a huge impact on what you're exposed to." Cooking on a gas stove releases some of the same pollutants that you find outdoors in smog. Logue looked at homes in Southern California that cook at least once a week, and found more than half of them were above the outdoor health limit for a pollutant called nitrogen dioxide. "If you exceeded the standards outdoors, it would be a really big deal," she says. "But if you exceed them in your house, nobody's paying attention." Homes with electric stoves aren't in the clear because cooking the food itself creates air pollution. Sauteing fats produces a lung irritant called acrolein. And cooking puts off fine particle pollution. Just like smog outdoors, these emissions increase your chances of developing long-term respiratory and heart problems. If all this sounds a little scary, Logue says there's a simple solution: a good range hood that vents outside. But, she says, "Not all hoods work the same and currently, unfortunately, there's no way for people to really know how effective their range hood is." Inside the test kitchen at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Woody Delp, a building systems engineer, and his team are trying to figure out exactly that. Some of the hoods he's tested are only 15 percent effective because their fans aren't as powerful. Delp says when you're buying a hood, that's labeled as air flow. But the shape of the hood also makes a big difference, like how far it reaches over the stove. Delp and his team are developing a standardized test to measure hood effectiveness. It's being reviewed by an international testing board, which would allow manufacturers to voluntarily label their hoods. "Unfortunately there's not really a state or federal agency that has comprehensive authority over indoor air pollution," says Peggy Jenkins, who manages the indoor air quality program at the California Air Resources Board. She says there are strict ventilation rules for other gas appliances in homes, like furnaces and water heaters. Stoves and range hoods have been largely overlooked. "In a sense it's low-hanging fruit, but it's not really simple," she says. Jenkins says there's growing interest in changing California's building codes around range hoods — but it would take a number of state agencies to do it. Meanwhile, for we home cooks, Logue has a few tips. She says use the highest fan setting on the range hood and put pots and pans on the back burners. That's where hoods capture the most pollutants. Simple changes, but effective ones, Logue says. The hard part is remembering them. Cooking Tips -- Always turn your fan on -- Cook on the back burners -- Use highest fan setting -- Clean grease traps periodically -- If you don't have a hood, open windows Tips For Buying A New Range Hood -- Look for one that covers the entire stovetop -- It should move 200 cubic feet of air per minute, certified by the Home Ventilating Institute -- Choose a noise rating of 3 sones or less for a quieter fan -- Choose a hood shape with a hollow space underneath for collecting fumes Source: Lawrence Berkeley Lab one idea

Wow! You have a lot of potential here. As there may be code requirements, set back issues or other ordinances, this is a project that could really benefit from a professional landscape architect. It would be money well spent to ensure proper drainage and legal compliance. It could also help you plan the work in phases if the budget dictates.