Urgent: Florida Expressway to Entomb Live Gopher Tortoises

[Guest guest]

Hi all! This is the action and reponse that Allison Fusswinkel (friend

from other turtle group) got regarding this situation and allowed me

to share with our group. It's a great example how we all can take

action and write letters and help out our loved chelonians and off

course in other animal issues. I am sharing this here because I think

sometimes it's hard to figure out what to write for people new to such

situations and many times get discourage and never do so. And, yes --

Mea Culpa too! :-)

 

Cheers!

Barbara

www.veggiechild.com

http://pets.DFWTurtleandTortoiseClub/

 

 

On April 9, the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority announced

that it will actively seek out gopher tortoises and their burrows on the

remaining undisturbed sections of the State Road 414 (John Land Apopka

Expressway) in order to relocate these animals to a conservation site.

 

The OOCEA has always followed state law and permit regulations dictated

by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), the

state agency charged with managing fish and wildlife resources for their

long-term well-being and the benefit of people. In years past, when the

state required the relocation of gopher tortoises from areas proposed

for development, the Expressway Authority complied with that practice.

For example, gopher tortoises were relocated for the SR 417 north of SR

528 and the eastern extension of SR 408 from Goldenrod Road to SR 50.

 

On Jan. 8, 2007, the OOCEA complied with state law in obtaining a

gopher tortoise incidental take permit from the FFWCC for Phase 1 of

the SR

414 project. Under the condition of this permit, the Expressway

Authority contributed $248,000 to the FFWCC's Land Acquisition Trust Fund,

which is used to buy and preserve 32 acres of gopher tortoise habitat.

Such conservation lands serve not only the gopher tortoises but other

species as well.

 

Due to recent heightened concerns from some environmentalists and

citizens, and because the FFWCC is now considering changes to state

regulations for preserving gopher tortoise populations, we will take extra

measures above and beyond what is required by the Conservation Commission.

 

As noted previously, the start of future sections of Phase 1 of the SR

414 John Land Apopka Expressway is being temporarily delayed. Phase 1

of the expressway includes three project sections that would extend SR

414 from where it ends now at US Highway 441 to an interim connection to

SR 429 - Daniel Webster Western Beltway. The first section of Phase 1,

from east of Hiawassee Road to County Road 435 (Clarcona Road), began

construction in January 2007.

 

Construction of the two remaining sections of Phase 1 has been put on

hold to allow the agency time in the coming weeks to mobilize biologists

to survey for gopher tortoises and their burrows along the project

corridor. Any burrows found will be cordoned off and monitored to

determine

if they are active. In coordination with the FFWCC, we will humanely

relocate any gopher tortoises found to a conservation site.

 

We have always worked with the environmental community in developing

major transportation projects. Projects such as the SR 414, SR 429

(Daniel Webster Western Expressway) and now the Wekiva Parkway have

all had

environmental advisory groups made up of environmentalists and

regulatory agency representatives. The environmental advisory group

for the SR

414 was informed and involved in how the permitting would be handled on

this project.

 

It is an unavoidable reality that there will be some impact to the

environment when trying to build transportation improvements needed to

meet

the demands of our growing community. Your Expressway Authority has

been, and will continue to be, a good corporate citizen and community

partner by working with environmental agencies and groups to the extent

possible to protect our wildlife and natural resources.

 

Thank you for your feedback.

 

 

Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority

525 South Magnolia Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

 

407.316.3800 (p)

407.316.3801 (f)

 

>>> Allison Fusswinkel <allisonfusswinkel 4/10/2007 10:46 PM

>>>

To whom it may concern:

 

It has recently come to my attention that the Orlando-Orange County

Expressway Authority is planning to build the new Maitland Interchange

and has paid to legally bury gopher tortoises and other species that

live in the area. As a person who supports the protection of tortoises

and turtles, I wholeheartedly urge you to reconsider.

 

The gopher tortoise is a threatened species and has already suffered

from plights such as this one. Please do not cause them to suffer

anymore. When a tortoise is crushed under the roadway, it is immobilized

and can't dig itself out of the burrow. As a result, these precious

creatures die a slow, horrible death, one that no creature deserves to

experience.

 

I urge you to reconsider and choose to protect these already

threatened animals before building the roadway.

 

Thanks,

Allison Fusswinkel

A concerned citizen and Advocator of Turtle and Tortoise Protection

 

 

 

DFWTurtleandTortoiseClub , " Barbara "

<urbanveggie wrote:

>

> Gopher Tortoises Buried Alive During Construction Of Roadway

> Permit From State Allows Expressway Authority To Kill Threatened Species

>

> POSTED: 5:51 pm EDT April 5, 2007

> UPDATED: 7:19 am EDT April 6, 2007

> MAITLAND, Fla. -- The U.S. Humane Society said Thursday that gopher

> tortoises are being buried alive during the construction of a new

> interchange in Central Florida.

>

> The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority has authorized

> construction of the new Maitland interchange on the west side of

> Orange County, but U.S. Humane Society officials said that helpless

> tortoises hiding in underground burrows up to 40-feet deep are being

> entombed by concrete in the process.

>

> " They're immobilized, they can't get out of the burrow, and it can

> take them up to one year to die, one biologist has told us. It could

> take them that long to die of suffocation, dehydration or starvation.

> It's an absolutely excruciating kind of death, " Jen Hobgood of the

> U.S. Humane Society said.

>

> The gopher tortoise has been uplisted to threatened-species status and

> destroying their habitat will be illegal by September at the earliest,

> Local 6 News reported.

>

> But the Expressway Authority paid the state more than $225,000 for an

> incidental take permit, which allows it to legally kill or bury the

> tortoises to create the roadway.

>

> " We followed all of the rules that were set up by the state. We didn't

> create the laws. We didn't create the permits. We didn't create the

> conditions. We just followed the conditions that were enacted by the

> state, by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, " Mary Brooks of the

> Expressway Authority said.

>

> Companies with the special permits don't have to do anything to

> protect the tortoises, such as relocating them to a safer habitat.

>

> " Any government ought to hold itself to a higher standard than the

> bare-minimun standard. Because you can bury alive gopher tortoises,

> doesn't necessarily mean you should, " Orange County Commissioner

> Teresa Jacobs said.

>

> Some citizens are concerned that the authority could have better spent

> its money saving the tortoises rather than destroying them.

>

> " I don't think it's appropriate for a public agency to be using toll

> money to kill off imperiled species without the consent of the

> public, " Rebecca Eagan said.

>

> A world renowned tortoise expert, who lives in Oviedo, said as many as

> 50 other species will suffer as well.

>

> " They should be keeping their head low for a few years while they

> regroup and get some more responsive administration, " Peter Pritchard

> said.

>

> " We can't have growth in an area and not disturb trees and the

> existing wildlife, " Brooks said.

>

> Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty, the chairman of the board for the

> authority, declined to discuss the issue.

>

> Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

>

>

> Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. All

> rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,

> rewritten or redistributed.

>

 

 

, Christine Bradley

<chaag62 wrote:

>

>

>

> Barbara <urbanveggie wrote: To:

DFWTurtleandTortoiseClub

> " Barbara " <urbanveggie

> Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:51:51 -0000

> [DFWTurtleandTortoiseClub] Urgent: Florida Expressway to

Entomb Live Gopher Tortoises

>

> Urgent: Florida Expressway to Entomb Live Gopher Tortoises

>

> PETA was just alerted to an urgent situation in Central Florida where

> a permit has reportedly been issued to the Orlando-Orange County

> Expressway Authority, which has been authorized to pave a new freeway

> interchange over the habitat of helpless gopher tortoises—a threatened

> species—as well as dozens of other sensitive species. Read here for

> more distressing details:

> http://www.local6.com/news/11537717/detail.html. According to wildlife

> experts, it could take months—up to a year—for tortoises who are

> buried alive to die of suffocation, dehydration, and starvation in

> their burrows.

>

> Please contact Orange County authorities immediately: urge them to

> halt construction of this expressway at once and explore/secure humane

> alternatives through the counsel of experts. There is no justification

> for allowing these animals to suffer and die in agony.

>

> Please contact:

>

> Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority

> 525 South Magnolia Avenue

> Orlando, Florida 32801

> 407.316.3800

> 407.316.3801 (fax)

> info

>

> County Mayor Richard Crotty

> 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor

> Orlando, FL 32801

> (407) 836-7370

> (407) 836-7360 (fax)

> mayor

>

> Board of County Commissioners

> Commissioner Teresa Jacobs district1

> Commissioner Fred Brummer district2

> Commissioner Mildred Fernandez district3

> Commissioner Linda Stewart district4

> Commissioner Bill Segal district5

> Commissioner Tiffany Moore district6

> 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor

> Orlando, FL 32801

> (407) 836-7350

> (407) 836-5879 (fax)

 

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