In the last ten years, some cities in the region have seen an increase in the number of days on which the air was considered unhealthy. And according to a recent report, much of the blame should be placed on air pollution from cars and trucks. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mark Brush has more:
Transcript
In the last ten years, some cities in the region have seen an increase in the number of days on
which the air was considered unhealthy. And according to a recent report, much of the blame
should be placed on air pollution from cars and trucks. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Mark Brush has more:
In its report, the Surface Transportation Policy Project highlighted research showing links
between transportation-related air pollution and increased asthma rates, and increased cancer risk.
Jim Corliss is one of the report’s co-author’s. He says progress has been made in cleaning up the
nation’s air, but that there’s still more to be done about pollution from vehicles.
“The increase in driving, the explosion in the number of miles people drive every day and every
year has really undermined a lot of the progress that we’ve made in cleaner engines.”
Corliss says that the increase in the number of miles driven is largely due to the way communities
are designed. He says urban sprawl has led to large increases in the number of miles driven for
everyday errands.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Mark Brush.
Some low-income suburbs of major metropolitan areas are dumping grounds for used tires. But who’s dumping the tires continues to stump the authorities. In one state, authorities hauled off more than 40,000 used tires last year… and more keep showing up. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jenny Lawton has this report:
Transcript
Some low-income suburbs of major metropolitan areas are dumping grounds for used tires. But
who’s dumping the tires continues to stump the authorities. In one state, authorities hauled off
more than 40-thousand used tires last year… and more keep showing up. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Jenny Lawton has this report:
Today’s job is a small one — inspectors from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
have been called in to remove about 3-thousand tires buried in an overgrown junkyard in a remote
corner of Blue Island, a suburb south of Chicago.
The state is paying for this clean-up, because tires are more than a nuisance, they’re a public
health problem.
This unpenned junkyard is overgrown with weeds and swarming with mosquitoes.
State EPA tire inspector George Skrobuton swats a big one from his elbow as he directs his crew.
“You’ve got all these tires here right now. They’re mixed between mattresses, garbage, clothes,
trash, leaves… See what they do is they get these tires out of the trees, the bushes, and the trash –
and they put them in a nice big pile, and they load the piles into the truck – it’s easier that way.
So, I mean, we’ll do the best we can, we’ll try to get every tire off the ground, if possible. And
hopefully, it’ll stay this way.”
The head of a back-hoe pushes aside a heap of garbage and its jaws close on a pile of almost a
dozen tires. Water streams from the knot of rubber as its lifted and dumped into an open semi
truck.
Skrobuton and his team have been called in to remove thousands of tires across the state, piles left
by rogue transporters who are paid to take them away, but pocket their fee instead of taking them
to be processed legally.
Some speculate the dumpers come from as far as Indiana to dump semi-truck-loads of the tires
under the cover of darkness.
Because these tires are on public land, Skrobuton’s team is cleaning them up for free as part of the
state EPA’s tire removal program.
But Skrobuton says this is a problem that just won’t go away.
“We can’t keep cleaning up these tire sites – it costs a lot of money. Y’know especially out here in
the south suburbs, I mean, there are so many forest preserves, and nooks and crannies like this,
that they could dump tires forever. And we don’t know where they’re coming from and that’s a
problem. Y’know, and unlesss they catch them in the act, we’re stuck with this problem.”
Over the last two years, dumpers left over 35-thousand tires in suburban Dixmoor.
With a population of less than 4-thousand, this poor suburb doesn’t have the money to remove the
tires… or fund a police force to keep the dumpers at bay.
So dumpers left their loads in alleys, vacant lots, even behind a school for years.
Village trustee Jerry Smith says the town was helpless until the state EPA came in and removed
all 18-truck-loads of tires last month.
“It’s just horrible, y’know – you go out there one day and it’s clear. And then you come back the
next day, you got 10,000 tires facing you. Well, what are you going to do with them? You can’t
pay the money to dispose them because you don’t have the money to dispose of them. There’s
nothing in our budget we got in there to dispose of tires what’s been dumped. So it’s just a burden
on us.”
But the state EPA’s Todd Marvel says the town had to move the tires because they’re a health
hazard.
He says the mounds of used tires draw more dumpers. And when tires catch fire, they produce a
toxic smoke, and Marvel says spraying water on them just makes things worse.
“So when that tire burns and you put that water on it, you’ve got a pretty contaminated run-off
there, a very oily run-off. And any surface water that’s in the area can be immediately
contaminated if that oily sheen is not contained properly.”
And, of course, there are mosquitoes. Marvel says each tire off its rim can breed thousands of
them, so these dumps are a breeding ground for West Nile.
Because of health concerns in the past, the state started a program to help get rid of these tires.
The state’s used tire clean-up program was created as a way to get the tires out of the state’s
junkyards, and into a useable industry.
People who purchase tires in Illinois pay a fee of $2.50 for each tire, new or used, which goes to
fund clean-ups and put back into the state’s used tire industry.
Most of the tires are shredded and mixed with coal to burn in power plants. Shredded tires can
also be used as the surface for everything from football fields to highways to playgrounds.
Marvel says the program has been so successful, Illinois’s demand for used tires actually exceeds
its generation rate.
“In fact, Illinois is a net importer of used tires. And the state of Illinois is constantly looking at
other markets and developing those markets to ensure that all of the used tires that we generate
and that all of the used tires that we clean-up through the dumps throughout the state have
someplace to go.”
But not all the tires end up where they’re supposed to go. Even though dumpers charge the fees
to process them properly, some of them steal the money and dump them in places such as
Dixmoor.
Dixmoor trustee Jerry Smith says once the tires show up in his town, they don’t have the money
to process them.
He says one company quoted him a price of $6 a tire. Multiply that by thousands.
So for now, he’s hoping the state EPA’s clean-up will last the town a long time.
Although the state EPA has offered Dixmoor support for added surveillance, Smith says a few
well-placed boulders and barricades seemed to do the trick.
Until last week, when 15 truck tires showed up in an alley.
Smith is cautiously optimistic this most recent find won’t multiply overnight.
“Let’s hope not. (laughs) I hope not. I really hope they don’t.”
But Dixmoor’s a small town and can’t afford a large enough police force to stop all the dumpers.
That means, chances are, abandoned tires will start showing up in back alleys and vacant lots
again soon.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Jenny Lawton.
A strange phenomenon has been occurring on a river in the Great Lakes basin. Anglers from Europe have been arriving in growing numbers to fish for something most of the locals won’t touch – the common carp. But that foreign interest is beginning to attract greater attention. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports that some believe carp fishing will offer new hope for a struggling economy:
Transcript
A strange phenomenon has been occurring on a river in the Great Lakes basin. Anglers from
Europe have been arriving in growing numbers to fish for something most of the locals won’t
touch – the common carp. But that foreign interest is beginning to attract greater attention. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports that some believe carp fishing will offer
new hope for a struggling economy:
(sound by river)
Many call the St. Lawrence River an angler’s paradise. 750 miles long, it’s stocked with gamefish
like salmon, pike, bass and walleye.
But the area surrounding it is sparsely populated and a little rundown. It’s never caught on as
much of a tourist destination – until now.
(sound at registration)
It’s ten minutes before the start of the first international junior carp tournament – and the scene in
this Waddington, New York arena is one of organized chaos.
Clumps of teenagers are standing in line, impatient to register. Harried looking volunteers are
handing out instructions and bags of free bait as quickly as they can.
“Your pegs are at the customs house, okay?”
It’s the first time an international carp derby has been hosted on the St. Lawrence – and it’s one of
the largest ever held in the U.S. There are 92 registrants – and they’ve come from places such as
Britain, Italy, Canada, California and Chicago. Top prize is 10 thousand dollars.
Martin James is a fishing correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation and an avid carp
angler. He says in Britain, the carp reigns supreme.
“The attitude towards the carp in the United Kingdom, is it’s the number one sports fish. There’s
more people fish for carp than any other species of fish. It’s a billion dollar business.
(outdoors sound)
For people who grew up around here, that idea has taken some getting used to. Most locals go
after fish they can eat – like walleye and bass.
According to the New York health department, carp is loaded with toxins. And so they’ve come
to be known as trash fish, unsafe to eat.
There’s even a bow hunting season for carp in which the fish are killed and discarded.
Local angler Doug Sholette is one of the marshals for the fishing derby. But he admits he’s never
tried carp fishing.
“So even coming into the tournament, you were a little bit skeptical about…” “Actually about
touching it. I’m like it’s a carp, you know?” “And you’re the marshal!” “Yeah, I guess I…I
thought about wearing gloves. But they gave us a rundown and what the Europeans think of carp
changes your whole attitude.”
That’s what fishing guide Jerry Laramay has been waiting to hear.
For five years, he’s been leading carp fishing adventures on the St. Lawrence for anglers from all
over the world. He’s also been just about the only local to try it himself. Laramay helped
organize the tournament with the hope of convincing his neighbors that this so-called trash fish is
a valuable resource.
“Can we affect the economy in this area? Absolutely. In this general area, it’s an impoverished
area, as far as our economy goes. I mean, we have to use these resources. God gave us the St.
Lawrence River in front of us, if you’re not going to use it, you’re a fool.
(yelling – “There it is!”)
Kids come running down the beach as 13 year old Josh Schrader pulls in the first carp of the day.
It’s a moment of excitement but also a learning opportunity. British angler Phil Saunders quickly
hops into the water with a net and starts giving instructions.
“Okay, put him in the sling…”
Saunders carefully lays the fish on a padded mat and then lifts it up to be weighed.
(11 pounds 4 ounces. “Alright Josh!”)
Saunders checks the fish to see if it has any wounds that need treating. Then he gently releases it.
The Europeans never eat them. Before the tournament, both the adult volunteers and the kids in
the derby were given a crash course in so-called carp care. The reasoning is simple. Take care of
the fish, and the catches will grow even bigger.
But Jerry Laramay says, for him, the need for conservation goes beyond sport fishing. He says
he’s seen a lot of wildlife disappear.
“If we don’t start protecting our natural resources, we’re not going to have them anymore. And
one day the carp will be gone also.”
(We haven’t even caught any big fish yet…)
As the day wears on, a clear winner emerges. Warren Dolan of London, England pulls in one
carp after another, while most of the lines around him remain still. He’s come to the derby with
extra poles, bags of special bait imported from England and expert gear to deposit it over the
water. The kids who live here rely on borrowed equipment. But three of them still end up in the
top 10. And many more are going home after reeling in a 10 or 20 pound fish. Jerry Laramay
hopes the experience will create a new generation of St. Lawrence anglers – and new hope for the
communities where they live.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.
State lawmakers from the eight states and two Canadian provinces that surround the Great Lakes have formed a caucus to coordinate legislative action on Great Lakes issues. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Sarah Hulett reports, the group will be a clearinghouse for information and policies that affect the lakes:
Transcript
State lawmakers from the eight states and two Canadian provinces that surround the Great Lakes
have formed a caucus to coordinate legislative action on Great Lakes issues. As The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Sarah Hulett reports, the group will be a clearinghouse for information and
policies that affect the lakes:
The Great Lakes Legislative Caucus plans to coordinate policies among the 10 states and
provincial Legislatures. They’ll work on issues such as beach closings, water diversion, and
invasive species.
State Senator Patty Birkholz is representing Michigan on the caucus. She says the group will also
work on a new charter agreement between Great Lakes governors and premiers – known as
Annex 2001.
“There will be pieces of that that will have to go back to the legislators from each state. It’ll be
not only important, but it’ll be imperative that the legislative piece of whatever Annex 2001 is
decided, gets reviewed and adopted by each of these states within the Great Lakes basin.”
The caucus has planned an October meeting in Pittsburgh, where members will discuss their
positions on Great Lakes issues and legislation.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Sarah Hulett.
A group that represents sewer and water agencies is calling for the creation of a federal trust fund to help rebuild antiquated pipelines. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mark Brush has more:
Transcript
A group that represents sewer and water agencies is calling for the creation
of a federal trust fund to help rebuild antiquated pipelines. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mark Brush has more:
Water and sewer bills are going up because cities are faced with the problem
of fixing and upgrading their old pipes. These projects can run into the
billions of dollars, and the cost is borne by local communities.
Ken Kirk is the Executive Director of the Association of Metropolitan
Sewerage Agencies. His group is calling for the creation of a federal trust
fund to help finance these huge projects:
“We’re talking about a trust fund that’s going to preserve and protect, and
enhance the water quality of all the great water bodies in this country, and
that is a national issue, it’s always been a national issue and we have to
put it back on the map again because to lose that resource would be an
absolute crime.”
The EPA estimates that current funding sources are falling short of the need
by hundreds of billions of dollars.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Mark Brush.
Court battles over the Missouri River have subsided… for now. The debate has focused on whether the Corps of Engineers should drop water levels to protect endangered species… or keep a normal flow to ensure barges would be able to ship cargo. In the end… levels went down… but not for nearly as long as courts had ordered. And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tom Weber reports… this summer’s fight might just be the first battle in a war over the river’s management:
Transcript
Court battles over the Missouri River have subsided… for now. The debate has focused on
whether the Corps of Engineers should drop water levels to protect endangered species… or keep
a normal flow to ensure barges would be able to ship cargo. In the end, levels went down, but not
for nearly as long as courts had ordered. And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tom Weber
reports, this summer’s fight might just be the first battle in a war over the river’s management:
On paper, the Corps of Engineers lowered the Missouri River this summer because of three
things: The piping plover and the least turn, two birds hat nest on sandbars, and the pallid
sturgeon, a fish that lays eggs in the shallow water.
Lawsuits by environmental groups like Chad Smith’s argued having too much water flowing in
the summertime disrupts and essentially washes away those nesting areas.
But Smith, who’s with the group, American Rivers, says the issue is much larger than two birds
and a fish…
“What we’re trying to do is to restore some semblance of the river’s natural flow, along with a lot
of habitat and try to make the Missouri River look and act more like a river. Right now it’s
managed like a ditch and it looks like a ditch.”
Smith says years of management by the Corps of Engineers – building dams and levees and
controlling river flows – have made river depths fairly consistent. But he says, really, that’s just
not how rivers work.
“You would have snow melt and rain coming into the river in the springtime, increasing the
flows, and then throughout the rest of the year, particularly during the hot summer months, the
levels would be very much lower, and that’s the kind of natural dynamic that fish and wildlife
adapted to.”
And so when a federal judge in Minnesota told the Corps of Engineers to lower water levels on
the Missouri, it was an attempt to get the river back to its natural ebb and flow. The court order
was for a four-week drop in levels, but the Corps only lowered the water for three days towards
the end of the endangered species’ nesting periods.
But even those three days upset business interests along the river, particularly the barge industry.
Towboats can be seen pushing barges up and down the Missouri River between Sioux City Iowa
and St. Louis. A group of politicians and business leaders, in fact, recently met at the Gateway
Arch in St. Louis to criticize the judge’s order. It’s actually the Mississippi River that passes in
front of the Arch, but because the Missouri spills into the Mississippi just north of St. Louis, the
group noted that lowering one would lower the other. And Missouri Senator Jim
Talent says that has a negative effect on jobs and the local economy.
“When that river goes down the barges can’t move. We’re inhibiting barge traffic already and if
this continues it’s going to stop. And we really need to step back from the brink of an action that’s
really just unreasonable and being forced on us by an extreme interpretation of the law by the
courts.”
Congresswoman JoAnn Emerson, whose district borders the Mississippi, wonders why the
Endangered Species Act that essentially won the lawsuit to lower levels is of higher importance
than people’s livelihoods.
“My mandate in Congress is from the people up and down the Mississippi River, people from my
Congressional district. My mandate isn’t from the piping plover or the least tern or the pallid
sturgeon.”
The debate over the Missouri River might have been moot if not for one other factor: A drought
has plagued parts of the Midwest for more than a year and made the rivers even lower.
A few days after the group met at the Arch, the Mississippi River got too shallow for any barge
traffic and closed for a weekend. Having cargo just sitting there, not getting to market, cost the
economy a million dollars a day by some estimates.
Barge groups blamed the lowering of the Missouri; environmental groups blamed the drought.
Barge traffic is moving again and the nesting season is over for the endangered species named in
the lawsuit. But the fight is far from over as both sides appear ready for another round. Once
again, Chad Smith with American Rivers.
“We’re prepared to stay in court for as long as it takes if the Corps is going to continue to be
obstinate about this. The Corps is now on notice through the court actions this summer that these
things are serious and they can’t hide from them.”
For its part, the Corps has said it will work with other government agencies, namely the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, to come up with a plan for managing the river for both wildlife and the
barges in time for next year. But it has said that before, and the two sides seem just as
far apart as they’ve ever been.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tom Weber.
With the rapid spread of West Nile, more communities are faced with the question of whether to use pesticides to control mosquitoes, which carry the virus. One town is trying a new approach: fish. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lisa Phillips reports:
Transcript
With the rapid spread of West Nile, more communities are faced with the question of whether to
use pesticides to control mosquitoes, which carry the virus. One town is trying a new approach –
fish. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lisa Phillips reports:
Non-native “mosquito fish,” also known as gambusia, have been used for years as a weapon
against the insect in parts of Asia and the American West. One town in upstate New York,
Guilderland, is trying something a little different: stocking a town pond with native species such
as sunfish and golden shiner.
Ward Stone is New York State’s Wildlife Pathologist. He says more communities should
consider doing the same.
“West Nile’s going to be around, and by lowering the mosquito population it makes it a little bit
safer. And they’re not applying any pesticides to it. We should encourage that.”
Stone says the fish program is limited because mosquitoes often breed in pools of water too small
for fish. But complaints about mosquitoes have decreased in the neighborhood near the pond,
and the town has decided to expand the program.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Lisa Phillips.
Much of the debate over preventing the West Nile virus has focused on when and how to use pesticides to get rid of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. But one community is trying another approach: increasing stocks of mosquito-eating fish. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lisa Phillips reports:
Transcript
Much of the debate over preventing the West Nile virus has focused on when and how to use
pesticides to get rid of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. But one community is trying
another approach – increasing stocks of mosquito-eating fish. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lisa Phillips reports:
When Greg Wier was a kid, he spent hours playing in the woods next to his family’s vegetable
farm in Guilderland, New York. He was too busy having fun to pay much attention to
mosquitoes.
“You got woods, you’re a kid. We had trails and forts and everything back here.”
Wier, who now has kids of his own, still lives on the family farm. But a lot has changed. The
woods have been replaced by a subdivision. The mosquitoes he once thought fairly harmless are
now potential carriers of the sometimes-deadly West Nile virus. Wier, the town highway
foreman, is the man in charge of Guilderland’s latest effort to combat the disease. He’s taking a
different approach: stocking ponds with fish that eat mosquito larvae. The effort started in the
subdivision’s drainage pond. On this hot afternoon, Wier watches a few sunfish and tadpoles dart
around the pond’s edge:
“I grew up here. I know this area quite well, and to see something like this happening naturally
instead of chemically is good for me.”
For the past four years, Wier has stocked the pond with several native fish species, including
pumpkin seed sunfish and golden shiner, a type of minnow. Both have a healthy appetite for
mosquito larvae. The town also puts bacterial larvicides, known as “dunks,” in smaller pools of
water, but there has been no pesticide spraying since the 1980’s. Ward Stone heads the Wildlife
Pathology Unit of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He is a big
fan of the Guilderland approach, especially as evidence of West Nile mounts:
“We’re in high danger right now. We’ve had mosquitoes, we’ve had a wet summer. Predictions
are that the United States will have the most severe year for West Nile virus. We need to have a
vaccine and control. This is a little bit of that overall war that the town of Guilderland is waging
and doing it very soundly and ecologically.”
Using fish to fight mosquitoes is not a new idea. But using native fish is different from what’s
been done in the past. Michael Kaufman is an entomologist at Michigan State University. He
says gambusia, a non-native species known as “mosquito fish,” has been used in the American
West and parts of Asia.
“Lots of people, myself included, think it is an unwise idea to use them indiscriminately. There is
an issue with mosquito fish eating the eggs of native species or amphibians. They’ll eat frogs or
salamander eggs. That’s obviously a sensitive issue there, too.”
Guilderland has taken no official steps to research how well the program is working, though there
have been fewer complaints about mosquitoes in the neighborhood near the drainage pond. The
question is whether other communities should follow the town’s lead. Entomologist Michael
Kaufman says there are benefits to doing so – but there are also limits.
“Anything a community can do to reduce mosquitoes coming off any breeding site is a good
thing. The problem is, many mosquitoes don’t breed in ponds that are permanent. There are a
large number of mosquitoes that breed in smaller bodies of water, temporary ponds, very polluted
areas. Things like sewage lagoons.”
In other words, places mosquito-eating native fish are unlikely to thrive. Guilderland Highway
Foreman Greg Wier is well aware that his strategy is no magic bullet against West Nile virus. He
just sees it as one part of an effort everyone has to make.
“By a town taking care of a pond like this, we’re taking care of our own backyard. If everyone else
takes care of their own backyard, cleans the gutters, birdbaths, or empties a tire, that alone will
help control the mosquito population. If every house in the area does it that will be more of an
answer to West Nile virus, I believe.”
Because the fish program is so cheap to implement, Wier has already expanded it to a pond in a
new town park. If all goes well, in a few years there could be another benefit to Guilderland’s
mosquito prevention scheme: a place for anglers to go fishing – perhaps without having to cover
themselves with quite so much bug repellant.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Lisa Phillips.
Research assistant Molly Wright on the trail for
radio-tagged turtles. (Photo by David Sommerstein)
Turtles like to live in wet, marshy areas. But they make their nests in dry areas, like in the gravel on the side of roads. Researchers are trying to determine how many turtles are becoming road kill and what effect that’s having on their populations. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Sommerstein reports:
Transcript
Turtles like to live in wet, marshy areas. But they make their nests in dry areas, like in the gravel
on the side of roads. Researchers are trying to determine how many turtles are becoming roadkill
and what effect that’s having on their populations. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David
Sommerstein reports:
Biologist Tom Langen spends a lot of time walking along roads in northern New York State. A
professor at Clarkson University, he and his team of researchers catch turtles and put an
identifying tag on each one. So when they find one that’s been run over, they know who it is.
“…and by looking at the number that we find that are hit, and the number that are hit that have
been caught before, we can estimate the population size and what percentage are being hit.”
Langen says killing adult turtles has a big effect on the population because they reproduce for
decades. He says the project could persuade road engineers to build tunnels and other passages.
That way turtles and other animals will be able to cross the road and get to the other side safely.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m David Sommerstein.
Research assistant Molly Wright on the trail for
radio-tagged turtles. (Photo by David Sommerstein)
Driving on country roads can sometimes be like navigating an obstacle course of wildlife – deer, skunks, raccoons, frogs, and throughout much of the summer – turtles. Turtles like to lay their eggs along roadsides and become easy candidates for road kill. They live and reproduce for decades, so when an adult is killed prematurely, it can have a big effect on turtle populations as a whole. Researchers are trying to find out how often turtles cross the road and how to help them get safely to the other side. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Sommerstein reports:
Transcript
Driving on country roads can sometimes be like navigating an obstacle course of wildlife – deer,
skunks, raccoons, frogs, and throughout much of the summer – turtles. Turtles like to lay their
eggs along roadsides and become easy candidates for roadkill. They live and reproduce for
decades, so when an adult is killed prematurely, it can have a big effect on turtle populations as a
whole. Researchers are trying to find out how often turtles cross the road and how to help them
get safely to the other side. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Sommerstein reports:
Tom Langen starts his day around 6 in the morning on the shoulder of a two-lane road in northern
New York State. He walks along and counts roadkill.
“We like to get out early before the traffic gets bad, but also before the crows and other animals
have drug everything away.”
When he finds a dead snapping turtle, he nudges it off the road and bends down to study it.
“So this is a female. It’s pretty mangled. Unfortunately I can’t see any of the banding on her
shell.”
Each morning, he’ll find two or three like this. Langen’s a biology professor at Clarkson
University. He specializes in animal behavior. He’s trying to figure out whether a few smooshed
turtles a day is a little problem or a big one for the species as a whole.
His hypothesis is that it is a big problem. Turtles can live more than 60 years. And they have a
higher reproduction rate the older they get.
“So the old individuals are very important, and the older they are, the more important they are.”
Turtles like to live in marshes or ponds. But they like to lay their eggs in drier places. In what
Langen describes as a cruel twist of ecological fate, road berms are perfect. They’re dry, sandy,
and often close to marshes.
“The turtles have evolved over millions of years certain cues of what makes a good nesting site.
And by chance the roads that we’ve built in the last 50 to 75 years have some of those features
that match that so they’re tricked into going to those places.”
To figure out how many turtles are tricked into playing chicken with cars, Langen and his
research assistants catch turtles in nets. They inject them with a tag that identifies each
individual. So when they find a dead one, they know who it is.
They also want to know how far the turtles range. So they attach tiny radio transmitters to turtles’
shells and track their movements. That job falls to research assistant Molly Wright.
“Umm, we’re going to go after a snapping turtle. It’s a snapping turtle that we found in a swamp
by the Grasse River.”
(sound of sloshing water)
It’s known only as “Turtle #6”. Wright slogs waist deep through a marsh just off the highway.
She slings a radio receiver over her shoulder and holds an antenna like the one you’d put atop
your house.
“Yeah. That’s the noise that the radio antenna telemetry device makes for the turtle, so it’s a
pretty distinctive sound. It’s straight in front of us somewhere, the turtle is.”
We trudge slowly past green lilypads into the middle of the marsh. We clutch long grasses to
keep our footing among the muck and submerged logs. Wright sweep the antenna left and right.
She looks like a radio statue of liberty.
“People see us pretty regularly on like their drives to and from work and people bicycle. There’s
one man who pulled over and he’s like, “what’s up with that girl with the antenna on her head?”
“You see that moving right there?” “Yeah.” “That’s the turtle. It’s moving in the lilies.”
“Right there?” “Yup.” “That’s him right there. Turtle #6 has been found.”
Wright jots down the GPS coordinates, water temperature, and other observations in a notebook.
She notices we’re only several feet from the road. Of the 15 turtles she’s tracking, about a third
have crossed.
“I can’t make any conclusions from it because I haven’t done the stats yet, but you see a lot of
dead turtles on the road.”
The team of researchers will compile data over the next three years. They hope to get a sense of
how many turtles live in the area and what percentage of them get run over. Lead scientist Tom
Langen says, ironically, some of these turtles are older than the roads they’re getting killed on.
“It would be a terrible tragedy to remove these animals from our environment and over a brief
period of fifty years because of our traffic activities. I’d like to see those populations preserved
and maintained in good numbers. My daughter likes to see them, and I want her to see them as
well.”
Langen says his research could give road engineers a mandate to design fences, baffles, and
passageways that could keep turtles and other animals out of harm’s way. He cautions drivers to
be careful near wetlands, and if they see a dead turtle, odds are more turtles are trying to cross the
road nearby.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m David Sommertein.
