NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 30 January 06 Public land eyed to relocate tortoises - Conservationists oppose use by developers (Kevin Lollar)
Even as scientists are recommending that the gopher tortoise be bumped up a notch on the imperiled species list, a movement is afoot to open county-owned Conservation 20/20 lands for relocation of the ecologically important reptile.
Under the existing conservation program's ordinance, 20/20 lands cannot be used for any kind of private development mitigation — that is, doing something to make up for destroying natural habitat for development.
If the program's committee decides to change the ordinance, and county commissioners approve, developers, for a fee, would be able to move gopher tortoises threatened by development to 20/20 lands.
"We've been relocating gopher tortoises on county lands other than 20/20 lands, for example, upland berms along Ten Mile Canal or park property," said County Commissioner Ray Judah, who proposed changing the conservation ordinance. "But those are marginal at best and not really, in the scheme of things, something we can rely on long term."
Conservation 20/20 went into effect after Lee County residents voted in November 1996 to raise property taxes to buy and manage environmentally sensitive land.
So far, the program, which generates about $20 million a year, has preserved more than 11,000 acres at 25 sites, ranging in size from the 9-acre Columbus G. MacLeod preserve to 2,709-acre Prairie Pines preserve.
"A lot of 20/20 land is wetlands," Judah said. "But a lot of it consists of upland habitat, which is suitable for gopher tortoises."
Before any gopher tortoises are relocated on 20/20 land, county scientists will make sure the animals won't cause problems for the tortoises already there.
"That kind of stuff has to be evaluated," said Rick Joyce, director of Lee County Environmental Sciences. "We've got to make sure there's carrying capacity for those animals."
According to Florida law, if gopher tortoises are on private property, the developer has several options, including keeping at least 50 feet from burrows and relocating tortoises on the property or to suitable habitat somewhere else.
In most of the state, one option is to obtain an "incidental take" permit, which allows the developer to bulldoze over gopher tortoises.
Lee County, however, does not allow this practice, commonly called "entombment."
"We're that much more concerned and sensitive about declining gopher tortoise populations," Judah said. "It's not appropriate to entomb and destroy gopher tortoises."
In Lee County, if a developer can't relocate gopher tortoises on the property, he still obtains an incidental take permit, for which he pays a fee to the state, but then must relocate the animals onto another property.
While many animals prey on gopher tortoises, including snakes, birds, fire ants and dogs, the reptile's biggest threat is loss of habitat due to development.
But the death of a gopher tortoise means more than the death of an individual animal. Gopher tortoises are an important part of the local ecology: a total of 360 other species use gopher tortoise burrows as shelter or to escape from extreme temperatures, predators and fire.
Among the species linked with gopher tortoise burrows are rabbits, opossums, indigo snakes and other snake species, quail, burrowing owls, armadillos, various species of lizard and frog, skunks and mice.
Last week, a state review panel recommended that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission raise the gopher tortoise's status from species of special concern to threatened.
Some Lee County residents, including computer consultant David Yates, who originated the idea of Conservation 20/20, don't think 20/20 lands should be used for tortoise relocation.
"I'd be very concerned about opening the door to using 20/20 lands for private mitigation," said Yates, president of Geeks-r-Us Inc. "20/20 was designed to enhance and enlarge the lands held for conservation use in the county. By allowing relocation, we're just allowing developers to shift the burden they have onto the taxpayer."
Brad Smith, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation land manager, agreed that allowing relocation of gopher tortoises onto Conservation 20/20 land "facilitates development."
"But, given that reality, these tortoises have to have a place to go," he said. "We need to be looking at all suitable areas and trying to manage those the best way we can to provide habitat for them. Otherwise, we're going to lose them and all that community that goes with them."
The Conservation 20/20 committee is tentatively scheduled to discuss relocation of gopher tortoises Feb. 6.
Public land eyed to relocate tortoises