Fl Press:Leave tortoises in their own areas, please

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tortoise Forum ]

Posted by Desiree on December 09, 2001 at 23:35:45:

Leave tortoises in their own areas, please
By Mike Archer
Sentinel Staff Writer

December 9, 2001

The death of 105 gopher tortoises at Rock Springs Run State Reserve could have been caused by disease, drought, development, or a mix of all three.

Boyd Blihovde, park biologist, led a survey that recently found the dead tortoises.

Because the bodies were found decomposed, too late for necropsies, it's impossible to determine the exact cause of the deaths, he said.

Gophers suffer as Central Florida booms with growth. Big die-offs have occurred near Brooksville, in the Green Swamp, and now in the Wekiva River basin.

It's a sad thing to see. The gopher's ancient cousins came to the Southeast millions of years ago and they are one of nature's most useful critters.

Their deep burrows shelter owls, snakes, rabbits, foxes and all sorts of animals, many of them rare and endangered.

They improve their surroundings by distributing seeds. Their digging builds healthy soil. Wherever they live -- on piney sand hills, oak woods, scrub, dunes or dry prairies -- they stimulate greater variety of wildlife and vegetation. Their burrows even help other animals stay safe during wildfires.

Blihovde said a dozen more dead tortoises have been found since the survey, and of six sent in for tests, three showed signs of an upper respiratory tract disease.

This highly contagious disease gets passed around when gophers court and squabble with each other. It's especially problematic when an infected tortoise gets moved into a healthy population.

Since the park is now surrounded by development, Blihovde said well-meaning people often find a gopher on the road or in a back yard and bring it into the park, thinking they will save it. Bad idea. If that one happens to be sick, it could end up killing many others.

Joan Berish, a state research biologist who has been studying gophers for 21 years now, agrees that the mysterious death of these 105 tortoises may never be solved.

"We know there has been upper respiratory tract disease in the park," she said.

Another theory, perhaps related, is that the gophers, which depend on cool, moist burrows, got sick and died because their habitat dried out.

The flow of water at Rock Spring and Wekiwa Springs has fallen 20 percent. Wells throughout the region go dry, trees fall over and wetlands turn crispy. These harsh conditions are caused by the mix of dry weather and massive withdrawals of ground water to feed development.

Efforts to protect wildlife generally focus on what happens above ground. Land is set aside for preservation. Controlled burns mimic nature. For game animals, hunting takes the place of natural predators.

All good, but what's going on underneath the ground?

Nature doesn't recognize property lines. If you set aside land for wildlife and then pump all the water out from under the land next to it, of course there is going to be a problem.

Environmentalists have been saying this for as long as I can remember, but the water districts in Florida keep handing out big permits willy-nilly for golf courses and rural subdivisions, even though their own scientists warn them the water supply is running dangerously low.

When the developers and their friends in political office say they can build right up to the edge of sensitive environmental areas and not cause any harm, it's a ridiculous claim.

While these gophers might have been killed by disease, it would not surprise me to learn that the disease was aggravated by the changing conditions of their territory.

Gophers, along with other wild animals and taxpayers who end up paying for pollution cleanups and duplicated public services, would benefit a great deal from less development.

The Gopher Tortoise Council, a group of scientific experts, says, "Habitat alteration and land development pose the most serious threat to the continued survival of the gopher tortoise."

If you see one crossing a road, experts say it's OK to save it from traffic but just set it back down on the other side and point it in the same direction it was going.

"Don't play musical tortoises," Berish said. "If you save it from the highway, don't take it to another location. Keep it in the same area it's living in."

More tips:

If you have gopher tortoises living on your property, landscape with native plants to help ensure proper food is available.

If planting pines where gophers live, leave room between trees for sunlight to reach the ground so food plants can grow.

Keep dogs away from inhabited burrows.

Leave 50 feet between the burrow and any construction work.

To learn more, go to the Web: www.gophertortoisecouncil.org.

Contact Mike Archer at 352-742-5922, 1898 E. Burleigh Blvd., Tavares, FL 32778, or marcher@orlandosentinel.com.

Leave tortoises in their own areas, please

Follow Ups:

Re: Why? so they can be bulldozed? Giovanni 12/11/01 (1)
- You know whats really going to be funny Justin 12/11/01 (0)

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: Leave tortoises in their own areas, please : By Mike Archer : Sentinel Staff Writer : December 9, 2001 : The death of 105 gopher tortoises at Rock Springs Run State Reserve could have been caused by disease, drought, development, or a mix of all three. : Boyd Blihovde, park biologist, led a survey that recently found the dead tortoises. : Because the bodies were found decomposed, too late for necropsies, it's impossible to determine the exact cause of the deaths, he said. : Gophers suffer as Central Florida booms with growth. Big die-offs have occurred near Brooksville, in the Green Swamp, and now in the Wekiva River basin. : It's a sad thing to see. The gopher's ancient cousins came to the Southeast millions of years ago and they are one of nature's most useful critters. : Their deep burrows shelter owls, snakes, rabbits, foxes and all sorts of animals, many of them rare and endangered. : They improve their surroundings by distributing seeds. Their digging builds healthy soil. Wherever they live -- on piney sand hills, oak woods, scrub, dunes or dry prairies -- they stimulate greater variety of wildlife and vegetation. Their burrows even help other animals stay safe during wildfires. : Blihovde said a dozen more dead tortoises have been found since the survey, and of six sent in for tests, three showed signs of an upper respiratory tract disease. : This highly contagious disease gets passed around when gophers court and squabble with each other. It's especially problematic when an infected tortoise gets moved into a healthy population. : Since the park is now surrounded by development, Blihovde said well-meaning people often find a gopher on the road or in a back yard and bring it into the park, thinking they will save it. Bad idea. If that one happens to be sick, it could end up killing many others. : Joan Berish, a state research biologist who has been studying gophers for 21 years now, agrees that the mysterious death of these 105 tortoises may never be solved. : "We know there has been upper respiratory tract disease in the park," she said. : Another theory, perhaps related, is that the gophers, which depend on cool, moist burrows, got sick and died because their habitat dried out. : The flow of water at Rock Spring and Wekiwa Springs has fallen 20 percent. Wells throughout the region go dry, trees fall over and wetlands turn crispy. These harsh conditions are caused by the mix of dry weather and massive withdrawals of ground water to feed development. : Efforts to protect wildlife generally focus on what happens above ground. Land is set aside for preservation. Controlled burns mimic nature. For game animals, hunting takes the place of natural predators. : All good, but what's going on underneath the ground? : Nature doesn't recognize property lines. If you set aside land for wildlife and then pump all the water out from under the land next to it, of course there is going to be a problem. : Environmentalists have been saying this for as long as I can remember, but the water districts in Florida keep handing out big permits willy-nilly for golf courses and rural subdivisions, even though their own scientists warn them the water supply is running dangerously low. : When the developers and their friends in political office say they can build right up to the edge of sensitive environmental areas and not cause any harm, it's a ridiculous claim. : While these gophers might have been killed by disease, it would not surprise me to learn that the disease was aggravated by the changing conditions of their territory. : Gophers, along with other wild animals and taxpayers who end up paying for pollution cleanups and duplicated public services, would benefit a great deal from less development. : The Gopher Tortoise Council, a group of scientific experts, says, "Habitat alteration and land development pose the most serious threat to the continued survival of the gopher tortoise." : If you see one crossing a road, experts say it's OK to save it from traffic but just set it back down on the other side and point it in the same direction it was going. : "Don't play musical tortoises," Berish said. "If you save it from the highway, don't take it to another location. Keep it in the same area it's living in." : More tips: : : If you have gopher tortoises living on your property, landscape with native plants to help ensure proper food is available. : : If planting pines where gophers live, leave room between trees for sunlight to reach the ground so food plants can grow. : : Keep dogs away from inhabited burrows. : : Leave 50 feet between the burrow and any construction work. : To learn more, go to the Web: www.gophertortoisecouncil.org. : Contact Mike Archer at 352-742-5922, 1898 E. Burleigh Blvd., Tavares, FL 32778, or marcher@orlandosentinel.com.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tortoise Forum ]