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OTTAWA CITIZEN (Ontario) 30 November 06 Turtle slows commuter train plan: Rare reptile seen swimming near light rail's possible route (Patrick Dare)
The city's beleaguered light-rail project has a new obstacle -- the Blanding's turtle.
The turtle, a species at risk, has been discovered by a community environmental group in marshland near Ottawa Airport, right where the city wants to build the controversial $880-million commuter train.
One of the reptiles, distinguished by its bright yellow chin and throat and non-aggressive demeanour, was spotted early in June by a member of the Save Our Greenspace group. That was followed this month by a scientist's confirmation that a turtle killed on Lester Road was a Blanding's. The species is classified as "threatened" in Canada.
As a result of the discovery, federal officials now say the issue needs to be examined before the rail project proceeds.
The city is proposing to build a 30-kilometre, mostly double-track rail corridor from Barrhaven town centre to downtown and the University of Ottawa. To build it, the city will have to widen an existing, little-used single train track that runs through National Capital Commission Greenbelt lands near Ottawa International Airport.
Cheryl Doran, a citizen who is concerned about the animal life along the proposed north-south light-rail line, said she began asking the city questions about what wildlife they had found. She didn't believe the city had done a thorough investigation, especially of the turtle population. So she got some advice from biologists about how to find turtles. She showed up early on the morning of June 2 and found a large mature female Blanding's, swimming with a mallard duck at 5:15 a.m.
The Blanding's, a large turtle that has a shell often likened in shape to a German military helmet, take 18 to 22 years to reach sexual maturity and can live to 70 years of age.
Ms. Doran and others collected a number of turtles killed by cars and trucks along Lester Road and sent them to scientist Frederick Schueler, of the Bishops Mills Natural History Centre near Oxford Mills. He confirmed that one of the turtles was a juvenile Blanding's.
Yesterday, Mr. Schueler said the age of the turtle suggests there's a reproductive population of the species in the woods, swamps and ponds of that part of the Greenbelt. He said these turtles are hard to find, though there is some evidence of population growth in parts of Ontario.
Touring the Greenbelt site this week, Ms. Doran said her group believes many turtles are hibernating for the winter in a pond north of Lester Road, near the Airport Parkway.
The Save Our Greenspace group is upset the city has been marking up the marshland with spray paint in preparation for construction, even though council has not given final approval for the project. City council must decide the project's fate by Dec. 15.
The city says it's just doing preparatory work and that, if council approves the rail service, construction will be carried out without destroying the turtles' habitat.
Planning director Dennis Jacobs said the city had suspected there might be Blanding's turtles in the area and that its consultants found egg shell evidence of the animals. Mr. Jacobs said the turtles aren't crossing the existing track, so the city believes it can preserve, and even improve, nesting areas and the turtles can continue living there.
Meanwhile, the federal government plays a key role in the process since the Greenbelt, where the turtles were found, is under federal control and natural conservation is a key mission of the National Capital Commission.
NCC spokeswoman Lucie Caron said yesterday the environmental assessment of the rail project found the need for more study of the area, and that's what the NCC is expecting, before the federal government gives final approval. She said the commission is watching the issue "very closely."
The idea that federal officials could block construction to save the turtles is one of many factors council will have to weigh as it decides the fate of the rail line. The project is already controversial, with Bob Chiarelli losing the election after making the line his key campaign theme.
Yesterday, Michele Brenning, director-general of the Canadian Wildlife Service, said the service will look into the issue. The Blanding's was designated a threatened species by the federal government in August.
Ms. Doran said that's nonsense and the project should be stopped. She said the city should look at building a rail service along a road, such as the Airport Parkway. She said that, in addition to the turtles, there are also herons and foxes that live in the marshland that need to be protected.
She said the discovery of Blanding's turtles shouldn't be viewed as a setback for government, but as good news: A fairly rare species can be found within a 15-minute drive of Parliament Hill.
"I get a lot of 'It's only a turtle.' But it's important to our biodiversity," said Ms. Doran.
Dan Brunton, a biologist with extensive knowledge of Ottawa's natural environment, said yesterday the discovery of Blanding's turtles in the Lester Road area is significant, though there are pockets elsewhere in Ottawa, such as Britannia. Mr. Brunton said the city will have to figure out how to protect the turtle's wetland habitat, and somehow fence the area in so that the turtles don't lumber onto roadways. He said car and truck traffic from newly built-up areas is the biggest threat to turtles.
Mr. Schueler, who confirmed the turtle's presence, said it is possible to take measures to protect turtle populations, by creating curbs and nesting areas. But he said the area is quite small and building a much bigger rail corridor will necessarily mean a reduction in the habitat left for animals. It's possible that the habitat could be preserved and the turtles saved, but "You don't know," he said.
Turtle slows commuter train plan

OTTAWA CITIZEN (Ontario) 02 December 06 Light rail won't encroach on turtle habitat, city says - At-risk species sightings around Lester Road cause for concern (Patrick Dare)
The City of Ottawa says it will build the new commuter-train service in the Greenbelt without going on federal government land where some turtles are believed to be living.
Rejean Chartrand, head of the city's light-rail project team, said yesterday that the city is concerned about sightings of Blanding's turtles, a species at risk, in the marshy area near Lester Road. He said the city's construction contractor for the commuter-rail project will have to come up with a plan to preserve the turtles and their habitat. That could include turtle fences and nesting areas.
But he said the federal government's strict environmental protections for species at risk won't come into play because the city owns a 30-metre corridor along the single railroad track, property it purchased several years ago from CP Rail as part of the O-Train pilot project.
"It's wide enough. They won't be going outside the right of way. That would be a no-no," said Mr. Chartrand.
Under the Species at Risk Act, the government is to provide "immediate protection on federal lands" when an animal is listed as being at risk. The Blanding's turtle was listed on the at-risk registry last year.
The government's guide to the act underscores the importance Canada attaches to protecting rare animals on its own land.
"Clearly, one of the first steps in implementing the new law is for the federal government to make sure its operations respect SARA and protect listed species," says the guide.
The federal government will send biologists in the next couple of weeks to look into the Blanding's turtle issue in Ottawa's Greenbelt, said Michele Brenning, director general of the Canadian Wildlife Service at Environment Canada.
"We have a bit of homework to do," said Ms. Brenning.
Some citizens concerned about the project and its effect on animal habitat say they have confirmed a dead turtle recently recovered from the Lester Road area was a Blanding's turtle. One of the group's members also saw one swimming in June.
Cheryl Doran, of the Save Our Greenspace group, says she doesn't believe the city can build a two-track rail bed without destroying turtle habitat in the swamp and forest area near Lester Road.
The Blanding's turtle is classified as endangered in Nova Scotia and as a threatened species in Ontario. The Blanding's is a non-aggressive, mid-sized turtle with a yellow throat and chin. Its shell is often likened to a German army helmet.
The city's $880-million rail project is proposed to run between Barrhaven and the University of Ottawa.
The city received approval for the project from the federal government on July 13 after an environmental assessment, but it still has some federal hoops to jump through. The city must get federal land-use approval from the federal government for some intrusions onto federal land needed for the construction project.
So far, that approval has not been signed by the NCC, though the federal land in question is not near the turtle habitat at Lester Road.
As well, Ottawa's new city council must endorse the rail plan by Dec. 15 for the federal government to release the $200 million it has committed to the project. City council is to debate the rail issue next week.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=9fdc40b3-bfef-4924-b137-1b48f27a0c56&k=57833