OC Seeks Signs to Reduce Turtle Deaths

OCEAN CITY – On a busy June afternoon, a line of cars stopped on a wide and busy stretch of West Avenue after drivers noticed a turtle making its way across the street. One driver rushed to help the reptile across while others waved encouragement.
Many turtles are not so lucky. Shattered shells line the bike lane along the road throughout the south end of the city.  At the Ocean City Council meeting June 13, Councilman Michael DeVlieger said he’s asked the city to help reduce the number of turtle deaths on the roads.
“A family came to me with regard to turtles that have perished on West Avenue between 34th and 56th (streets),” he said. “Apparently they counted quite an abundance of turtles that were killed by motor vehicles.”
DeVlieger said he has asked the city to put up more turtle crossing signs. He said the administration seems willing to take the step.
Business Administrator George Savastano followed up on the issue after the meeting, according to Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen. He said West Avenue is a county road. County officials are willing to add more signs.
There already are some signs along the road, as well as near the bridge coming into town at 34th Street and on side roads near the marsh where the turtles spend most of their time.
According to Bergen, there are enough signs facing the traffic heading south along that section of West Avenue, but the county has agreed to provide additional signs facing the northbound traffic as well.
June is the busy season for turtle sightings along the shore. There are numerous turtle species in New Jersey, but the kind most often seen on barrier islands are the diamondback terrapins that line the back bays.
“The females are coming up to nest, so they’re seeking higher ground,” said Dr. Lisa Ferguson, the director of research and conservation at The Wetlands Institute near Stone Harbor, in an interview after the Ocean City meeting. The institute has spent decades studying and protecting the diamondback terrapins.
So what’s the difference between a turtle and a terrapin?
“A terrapin is just a type of turtle that lives in brackish waters,” Ferguson said. In New Jersey, diamondback terrapins live in the bays, inlets and marshy tributaries between the barrier islands and the mainland.
Starting in late May and tapering off in mid-July, female turtles of reproductive age leave the water to lay eggs.
“They have to cross the roads in their search for higher ground, which is what leads to the conflict,” she said.
Over the past 25 years, the Wetlands Institute has documented an average of 500 adult female turtles killed each year on area roadways. Ferguson said the fatalities from cars are enough to impact the population, especially when combined with other threats like drowning in crab traps, illegal hunting and more.
“The roadway deaths are the most visible,” Ferguson said. Worse, almost every turtle that gets run over is a reproductive-age female. It takes seven or eight years before the female terrapins are mature enough to lay eggs. The tiny hatchlings then must make their way back to the back bays to continue the life cycle.
In Ocean City’s south end, the wide, flat turtles become a common sight on lawns and crossing roads. They are less often seen downtown, which Fergusson said is likely due to the bulkheads that line the back bays for much of the island.
“If you see a turtle crossing and can safely help it along the way, pick it up, carry it to the side they’re pointing at, not the side they came from. If you put them back on that side, they’ll just come across again,” DeVlieger said.
Sometimes, it’s enough to just let the turtle pass, Ferguson said. If someone can stop safely and help the turtle, she also mentioned moving it in the direction it is already traveling. The turtles are well camouflaged against the blacktop and can be easily overlooked at night.
“This time of year, just drive cautiously. There’s wildlife of all kinds crossing the roads,” she said. “Try not to tailgate and don’t drive too fast.”
That could help more than turtles trying to cross West Avenue in the summer, she said.
Awareness also helps, Ferguson added, saying it’s a good idea for Ocean City to put up signs.
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.