Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 29, Number 11;   November, 2002

Turtle Quandary: Endangered Species Complicates Car Debate On Galveston Island

by Tony Freemantle

But these were no ordinary turtles, and this was no ordinary beach on which they chose to heed their primal urges. These were endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles and, because there is no record of them ever nesting on the Upper Texas Coast, their visit was heralded as another sign the species is clawing its way back from the brink of extinction.

It also just happens that, for reasons known only to themselves, they blithely chose to nest on the last stretch of Galveston Island beach where it is still legal to drive one's car and where, if left alone, their offspring had as much chance of surviving as a dog on a Houston freeway.

Federal marine biologists from Galveston immediately swooped in and collected the eggs, as well as those in nests dug by two other ridley turtles farther down the coast -- also on beaches open to traffic -- and flew them to a turtle sanctuary at Padre Island National Seashore where they will be incubated, hatched and released.

Cars on beaches notwithstanding, this has been an outstanding three-month breeding season for ridley turtles along the Texas coast. As of Monday, officially the last day of the breeding season, 34 nests had been found, more than twice the previous record of 16, which was set in 1999. But the fact the turtles have started showing up north of Mustang Island for the first time in anyone's memory -- in addition to Galveston, two turtles nested on Quintana Beach and the Matagorda Peninsula -- has left scientists feeling somewhat ambivalent: excited by their appearance, yet apprehensive about their chances of surviving without a plan in place to protect them.

"This was such an unexpected event," said Donna Shaver, a federal biologist in charge of the sanctuary at Padre Island. "It's good news that the numbers of Kemp's ridleys on the Texas coast are increasing. But it shows that we have to now expand our public education and detection efforts to the upper Texas coast, because eventually it's not going to be feasible to move the eggs."

Since the lower coast has been the center of Texas' efforts to revive the ridley turtle, and since historically that is where they have nested, there is an extensive, well-organized effort to protect them there. During the nesting season in April, May and June, the beaches are patrolled by volunteers looking for the animals. If a nest is found, it is either protected where it is and carefully watched, or the eggs are moved to an established corral.

On the upper coast there is no such plan. The turtle that nested on the Matagorda Peninsula discovered that to her peril when she was run over by a car on her way back to the Gulf. She did not appear badly hurt and swam away when put into water, said Andrea Cannon, a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Galveston. The first turtle came ashore on the upper coast at Quintana on May 23. Two nested on June 9, one on Galveston and one on Matagorda, and the last one came ashore on Galveston on June 10.

The two Galveston turtles could not have timed their arrival better -- they landed right in the middle of a controversial process by the city of Galveston to comply with the state's Open Beaches Act. That law says the public must have adequate access to the beaches, including automobiles. The state charges that Galveston does not provide it. Patrick Dugan owns about 1,000 acres of undeveloped land on the western edge of Galveston Island fronted by the last 3.5 miles of beach that is still open to free-flowing traffic. He is trying to get the beach closed to cars. In his mind, and in the minds of those who support his efforts, the turtles offer a perfect, and serendipitous, reason for a ban.

"I would make the case that beaches open to unmanaged vehicle traffic are potentially not beneficial to turtle nesting," said Peter Ravella, a former director of the General Land Office's coastal management program who is now assisting Dugan as a consultant. Dugan has offered to provide 200 acres along San Luis Pass as a sanctuary, as well as access roads and parking for pedestrians as required by state law, if the city will close the beach to traffic, Ravella said. Since the turtles arrived, Ravella said Dugan has indicated he would be willing also to include them in his plans.

"The idea of having the turtles and having the sanctuary goes hand in hand with our idea that you can have development that is environmentally sound and economically viable," Ravella said.

Wendy O'Donohoe, the head of Galveston's planning and community development department, said the city is drawing up a plan that will address access for pedestrians and vehicles to all of Galveston's beaches, not just the stretch along Dugan's property, with the purpose of complying with state law. The presence of the turtles, she said, does not alter the equation.