BOSTON GLOBE (Massachusetts) 04 November 10 A nose for rare turtles - Trained dog helps ecologist rescue endangered species at old air base (Emily Sweeney)
Jett is a purebred German shepherd with a very special skill: She tracks down turtles.
Her unique talent is being put to use at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station, a 1,400-acre swath of real estate slated to be developed over the next decade. One of the first projects consists of building a new road, the East-West Parkway, across the property. But before construction vehicles start rolling, endangered or protected wildlife species on the land must be accounted for and taken care of.
That’s where Jett comes in.
The old base, which straddles parts of Weymouth, Abington, and Rockland, is home to a small but stable population of Eastern box turtles, and developers are working to accommodate them. Jett and her owner, Scott Egan, a wetlands and wildlife ecologist, have been searching areas where construction will take place. After Jett sniffs the turtles out, Egan installs radio transmitters on their shells to keep track of their movements around the former military base.
The research will come in handy as the developers and conservationists work toward a solution that will allow the parkway and turtles to coexist: a special tunnel under the road to facilitate the creatures’ travel.
“The ultimate goal is to protect the turtles and keep them from getting injured or killed by big machinery,’’ said Egan.
Man and pooch have been trying to locate as many turtles as they can, to make sure none are in harm’s way.
“Turtles are hard to find. You can walk right by them,’’ said Egan. “A lot of times she finds turtles that are under shrubs, grass, or leaves.’’
Egan did not want to say how many turtles have been tagged because of concern that some people might try to capture specimens as pets.
As work begins on the parkway, silt fences will be installed to protect the turtles. The turtle crossing area will be located about 650 feet west of Old Swamp River, a small stream on the eastern side of the base in Rockland. The so-called turtle tunnel (also known as a wildlife culvert) will measure about 10 feet wide and 8 feet high. It will be made of concrete and stretch about 100 feet.
The tunnel will be built in the first phase of the East-West Parkway construction project, a 1-mile section planned to cost $11.5 million. The state has put the job out to bid, and is expected to award the contract soon.
Retaining walls and fencing along the parkway will help keep turtles off the road and hopefully guide them toward the tunnel opening, said Jim Young, project manager for the South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp., the public agency overseeing redevelopment of the base.
Egan, who works for AECOM, a global consulting company with offices in Westford, started working at the air base site in 1999 as a consultant to the Navy. He’s now part of a team working for South Shore Tri-Town and LNR Property Corp., the master developer of SouthField.
On a recent Tuesday, the Egan and Jett were working at the base when Jett spotted a turtle underneath some brush. It was a young adult, 8 to 10 years old, that they had not encountered before.
“The turtle was buried under inches of leaves — we never would have seen it,’’ said Egan. “We had walked right by it.’’
The discovery led the team to focus on the area, he said, and “we ended up finding two more turtles.’’
“I feel better looking through an area when [Jett is] with me,’’ said Egan. “She does her job.’’
Trained dog helps ecologist rescue endangered species at old air base