Gopher tortoises delay some SunRail work (via Herp Digest)

By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel

LAKE MARY — The small, gray gopher tortoise was about 20 feet from the railroad tracks, slowly making its way in the scrub and sand, its destination unclear on a recent afternoon.

That unsuspecting turtle, spooked into its shell at one point, and others of its kind have put a halt to any SunRail commuter-rail construction in the area because they are members of an endangered species.

And unless the weather is absolutely perfect — it has been too cool recently — the little guys (and gals) cannot be moved. So they remain holed up along a roughly 6-mile stretch of track from Longwood to Lake Mary to just south of Sanford.

That means — at least until the weather stays warm — crews can't add a second set of tracks as planned or clear the grounds for future depots in Lake Mary or Longwood.

Experts under contract with the Florida Department of Transportation estimate the Longwood-Sanford corridor holds nearly 200 burrows where close to 100 gopher tortoises live.

Gary Serviss, a principal scientist with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., said the turtles are drawn to the tracks because the sandy soils are largely high and dry and easy to dig in — just the conditions the species likes.

"It's a quite suitable habitat for them," Serviss said.

The tortoises, one of the oldest living species in North America, also are losing land to development, Serviss said. They are less likely to be bothered by the people working or living near the tracks, he said, and they seem to stay a safe distance from the rails.

The one spotted recently by Serviss and several people accompanying him was likely the equivalent of a teenager, still small but growing. It had left its burrow — No. 125 by the consultant's count — and appeared to be heading for another burrow, possibly No. 127.

Serviss said tortoises typically live in and switch between two burrows, which have a half-moon-type entrance and can be 8 to 12 feet deep and up to 30 feet long.

They are good at sharing and allow a variety of critters to cohabit in their digs, including snakes, frogs, mice and armadillos — up to 250 species in all.

The tortoises eventually will be moved — but not until warm weather stays awhile. According to federal law, temperatures cannot fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive days after they have been relocated and released.

The rule, FDOT officials say, is supposed to ensure that the tortoises, which are coldblooded and become sluggish as temperatures drop, are not stressed by cool weather after the trauma of being moved.

Fortunately for SunRail supporters, the tortoises should not cause any delays in the May 2014 startup for the initial 31 miles of what eventually will be a 61-mile system. The first phase, which includes 12 depots, runs from DeBary in Volusia County through Seminole County into downtown Orlando to south Orange County.

Construction crews have shifted to working on platform stops in DeBary and Altamonte Springs, with Longwood and Sanford on deck.

FDOT spokesman Steve Olson estimates it will cost at least $221,000 to move the tortoises. It is not an easy task, Serviss said, because the burrows have to be carefully excavated by hand or with a backhoe.

It's unclear exactly where they will end up, but the law says they must be placed within a 100-mile radius of their old homes and in an approved conservation area.

"The ultimate goal," Serviss said, "is to protect the tortoises themselves and move them to a safe place."

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-gopher-tortoises-sunrail-20120215,0,3385034.story