The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 15 No. 41 - August 12, 2015

TURTLES

Gopher tortoises subject of workshop

Carol Whitmore

CINDY LANE | SUN

Land-based gopher tortoises, which have claws, not
flippers like sea turtles, live on Anna Maria Island.

Gopher tortoises residing on Anna Maria Island and elsewhere in Manatee County have some friends in government.

Local government officials learned how municipalities can work together to conserve the threatened species at a recent workshop sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in Palmetto.

While the FWC has jurisdiction over wildlife, counties and cities make the laws governing their habitat, said Alex Kalfin, local government coordinator for the FWC’s Gopher Tortoise Conservation Program.

Municipalities often have different development requirements that impact tortoises, and the FWC would like to see consistency in environmental review requirements and other development laws, he said.

“Partnerships involving cities, counties and the FWC have led to wonderful projects to conserve gopher tortoises and their habitats,” Kalfin said.

After the workshop, participants traveled to Rye Preserve to see recent habitat improvements that were completed by the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department through the FWC’s Habitat Management Assistance Funding Program.

“As we began our tour of the managed habitat, one of the first things we saw was a large gopher tortoise walking on the trail, a good sign that the habitat improvement is working,” Kalfin said.

Turtle Tips

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring offers free Tuesday Turtle Talks each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Annie Silver Community Center, 103 23rd St. in Bradenton Beach.

No reservations are required for the program, which highlights 35 years of turtle and shorebird nesting history on Anna Maria Island.

Free souvenirs include temporary turtle tattoos and the Flippers and Feathers Activity book. Shirts and hats will be available for purchase.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. so you can visit with the crew that monitors AMI shorelines every morning.

Turtle Tips

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, please follow these tips:

• Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.

• Don’t use flashlights or camera flashes on the beach at night.

• Remove all objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.

• Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water.

• Don’t use sky lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf.

• Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights.

• Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Bird Tips

During bird nesting season, March through August, please follow these tips:

• Never touch a shorebird chick, even if it’s wandering outside a staked nesting area.

• Teach kids not to chase birds – bird parents may abandon nests if they’re disturbed.

• Don’t feed birds – it encourages them to fly at people aggressively and is not good for their health.

• If birds are screeching and flying at you, you’re too close.

• Avoid posted bird nesting areas and use designated walkways to the beach.

• Keep pets away from bird nesting areas.

• Keep the beach clean; food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beach, and litter can entangle birds and other wildlife.

• If you see people disturbing nesting birds, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline a


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