I got this email because I am on the PARC mailing list!

[Pithicus]

Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) is an inclusive partnership dedicated to the conservation of the herpetofauna--reptiles and amphibians--and their habitats.

It's about time developers start doing this,only 100 years late!

From PARC member Deborah Woodell:

In my full-time job, I work at the Phila. Daily News. Found this story on the wire:

Md. officials relocate turtles from construction
Eds: Multimedia: An audio slideshow on saving box turtles is
available in the —national/turtle—rescue folder.
AP Photo MDJM201, MDJM204, MDJM202
By SARAH KARUSH
Associated Press Writer
DERWOOD, Md. (AP) — Boot-clad feet kick aside tall grass. Heads
tilt to peer under logs. A Labrador retriever follows her eager
nose through the woods.
Suddenly, a triumphant cry rings out — "Turtle!" — and a hand
gently scoops up the creature.
A rescue squad of environmentalists, researchers, state
employees and contractors is working against the clock to save
Eastern box turtles that would otherwise be crushed or buried alive
when hundreds of acres of woods in the Washington suburbs are paved
over for a major highway, a process that could begin within weeks.
Turtles found on the expeditions are being put on the safe side
of a mesh fence.
"It is literally do or die for the box turtles in the first
phase" of the highway project, said Susan Hagood, a wildlife
expert with the Humane Society of the United States, who searched
with her dog, Drew, who was trained by the customs service.
When the 18.8-mile InterCounty Connector, commonly known as the
ICC, is finished, it will include a permanent fence, along with
culverts to allow turtles to cross the road safely to make use of
all their old haunts on both sides of the road. Larger passages
will accommodate wildlife of all sizes.
Concern about roadkill has led to the proliferation of such
"critter crossings," as the Federal Highway Administration calls
them, over and under roads around the country.
But relocating wildlife in the path of road construction is a
new idea in Maryland and rare throughout the country. Last year,
Florida began requiring the relocation of gopher tortoises before
any new construction project begins.
The need for relocating turtles is simple. Unlike many other
animals, they "can’t get out of the way of bulldozers," Hagood
said.
While, it’s unclear exactly when those bulldozers are coming,
the rescuers have to act now because the turtles soon will burrow
into the topsoil for the winter. Once that happens, not even the
best canine nose or the sharpest human eye will be able to find
them.
Eastern box turtles can grow up to 8 inches long under their
pretty, patterned shells and are found up and down the East Coast
and as far west as Texas. Many biologists fear their numbers will
soon dwindle because of modern dangers.
The turtles are slow to reproduce, and animals that thrive in
the suburbs — such as raccoons, skunks and opossums — like to snack
on turtle hatchlings and eggs. Encounters with cars and lawnmowers
are deadly.
The ICC — envisioned by regional planners since the 1950s and
championed as a vital link among the population and job centers of
Montgomery and Prince George’s counties — has raised the ire of
environmentalists, who fear traffic from the road will diminish air
quality and who lament the destruction of hundreds of acres of
forest.
Bill Schultz, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service who pushed for the ICC turtle relocation, said he knew of
no similar efforts anywhere and had some hesitation about
advocating a project that focused solely on one species.
"This is a big commitment by state highway," he said.
"They’ve really stepped up."
Turtle relocation is included in the lump sums of the
design-build contracts for the ICC, but is estimated to cost
several hundred thousand dollars, said ICC spokeswoman Fran
Counihan. In addition, the state is paying about $300,000 for a
three-year study by Towson University in Towson, Md.
The study will focus on how well relocated turtles adapt and
whether the fence is effective in keeping them out. Ninety-four
turtles have been outfitted with transmitters, allowing the
researchers to track their location.
Officials hope the study will answer the question, "Is this
worth spending the public’s money to do?" said Rob Shreve, an
environmental manager at the Maryland State Highway Administration.
AP-ES-09-30-08 0708EDT
__________________
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When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.