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<br /> SA,.q PAUL PIO'\FER PRESS \10,DAY, APRIL l. 1996
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<br /> IrORTLE "That's kind of too bad," said Joan
<br /> Galli. nongame wildlife specialist with The Blanding's turtle
<br /> the state Department of Natural Re-
<br /> I CONTINUED FROM lA sources who doesn't want residents, de- The Blanding's turtle range is from the.
<br /> velopers Or city officials to forget that Upper Midwest U.S. 10 a few Canadian
<br /> saving the turtle and developing open provinces, They begin basking in April
<br /> The docile turtle, says one Arden Hills space aren't mutually exclusive, and nest in undeveloped sandy
<br /> Ificial, has become "the endangered She said statistics kept by the D.S, Fish grasslands in June.
<br /> 'mbol of the city" - one that has been and Wildlife Service show that between
<br /> ted before city councils and planning 1987 and 1992, only 54 of 96,832 projects
<br /> commissions in Arden Hills, Shoreview nationwide were stopped because of en.
<br /> fd Vadnais Heights and may be men- dangered species concerns, And neither
<br /> ned more and more as a means of she or other local DNR officials remem-
<br /> eserving open space, ber any projects stopped in these parts.
<br /> Why? Because some residents argue "To my knowledge, we haven't really
<br /> ,at if a Blanding.s turtle lives nearby, stopped projects or changed them, but we
<br /> ty officials should do all they can to let them know some things they can do
<br /> otect the dinner-plate-sized amphibian, just to protect the turtles," said Ellen
<br /> And to many, that means stopping devel- Heneghan, endangered species environ-
<br /> 1~_ltOgether. mental review coordinator for the DNR.
<br /> " nly, people have learned that "I think what the citizens were saying . Don't mow ditches until
<br /> re , 'ies are one way they can throw in mentioning the turtles was one point. in order to preserve cover and
<br /> a monkey wrench into development, and while the bigger issue was how to handle maintain travel corridors for the
<br /> I this part of the state, it's the Bland- the land," said Galli. an Arden Hills resi- . Avoid using fertilizers and
<br /> g's turtle," said Tom Landwehr. a dent who followed the Ogren townhome pesticides.
<br /> oreview City Council member and battle in the newspaper. "It's not really . landscaping should be left as
<br /> NR biologist. "But it was never intend- the turtles, They're just the symbols used natural as possible, and trees should
<br /> ed that the designation would be a tool by the residents. But one thing a develop- nOl be planted .in known nesting sile~?
<br /> t stopping development. It's a tool for er should do is say, 'Yes, I hear your . Report Blanding's sightings to the.:
<br /> iding development, not stopping it:' point. I'm going to go back to the DNR DNR (296-3344).. '. '. ....
<br /> Statistics show the mere mention of and see what they say.' ~ ~?iZ~~@;;;gg:l:
<br /> the turtle has lillle effect, and officials "This isn.t another endangered species I ,_ l~ I I'~< ';..". .Yk);'.:'LlB~:',:1_!':
<br /> 10m around northern Ramsey County that stops development:' Galli said. "I . Inform workers that Blanding.'s.". ...'"
<br /> y development is seldom altered by its don't know of one project yet that's been turtles may live inthe.area.
<br /> perceived presence. stopped by the presence of those turtles, . All wetlands should be protected n
<br /> But the side effect of such tactics con- "The message is just that a lot of from road run-off, lawn and other
<br /> Irns naturalists, They worry that spuri. people care about these resources too chemical run-off by a buffer strip of
<br /> s claims of Blanding's sightings may and want to see a place for them," sbe vegetation.
<br /> ove the undoing of legitimate ones. Or said. . Avoid placing roaci$ between
<br /> worse, that developers who hear the That place is usually in shallow, slow- wetlands and adj~cent uplands.
<br /> landing's invoked won't bother to inves- moving water or marshes that border . Report Blanding's sightings to the
<br /> ate. rivers, That's where the turtles hibernate DNR (296-3344).
<br /> Case in point, developer Dan Ogren, He until they emerge in April and begin Source: Minnesota DePartment of Natural
<br /> heard the turtle claims from residents nesting in June, Resources, Section of Wildlif.e
<br /> 1st year, when he gained approval for a DNR officials say they can't estimate
<br /> wnhome complex along Old Snelling how many of the turtles live in northern PIONEER PRESS
<br /> venue near County Road E2, Ramsey County. But they do keep reo will keep the turtle at the forefront of
<br /> "They were throwing out just about cords of Blanding.s sightings, classifying
<br /> Iything they could, and I had heard that them as verified by a specimen, verified many land-use debates,
<br /> landing's turtles were a pretty common by a photo, or observed with a good "Typically, you have a list of common
<br /> , ing to bring up," Ogren said, "So I description. Forty sigbtings have been re- concerns tha t everyone has anytime
<br /> nev;wn bothered to do any research corded, 33 of which have been verified by there's a large parcel of land to be devel-
<br /> It. I think it was just a roadblock. photos or specimens. The earliest dates oped, and it's usually brought up," said
<br /> hat's e way I felt:' to 1949, and many have been logged at Vadnais Heights administrator Gerry Dr-
<br /> Were Blanding's turtles living on his Snail Lake Regional Park and the Twin ban,
<br /> land, just across the highway from Val. Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Arden Hills City Council Member Bev-
<br /> ltine Lake? "I have no idea:. Ogren Hills, erly Aplikowski said: "I think we'll hear
<br /> id, The heightened awareness of the turtle more of it, Ifs the endangered sym.bohf
<br /> That's because he never cbecked. and its threatened-species status likely the city,"
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