Poland Spring offers to search for turtles, beef up driver training

By David Carkhuff

Water-bottling company Poland Spring is agreeing to study the area near its proposed truck-filling station along Route 302 in East Fryeburg for the presence of Blanding's turtles.Landowner Elbridge Russell found one of the endangered turtles on the shoulder of Route 302 on Oct. 17.As a result of his find, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was notified about "a likely occurrence" of a Blanding's turtle near the intersection of the Stanley Hill Road and Route 302. Now, it's up to the Nestle Waters affiliate to search for more."This species is currently listed as endangered under the Maine Endangered Species Act (12 MRSA, Part 13, Chapter 925, Subchapter 3)," wrote Scott Lindsay, assistant regional wildlife biologist with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in a Feb. 2 letter to Fryeburg Town Manager Phil Covelli. "We also were aware of a proposal by Poland Spring to establish a spring water terminal about a mile east of the turtle occurrence, near the intersection of the Denmark Road and Route 302."Lindsay wrote that "the lack of conforming wetlands at the site, the size of the development footprint and the distance from the turtle occurrence" suggested there would be "minimal direct disturbance to a potential Blanding's turtle population at this location."But he noted that the addition of about 50 trucks a day entering and exiting the truck-filling site at peak periods could be a concern."I am concerned about the potential impact of up to 50 additional truck trips/day traveling to and from this water facility," Lindsay wrote. "Road mortality of Blanding's turtles can have a significant impact on a population given the species' low reproductive success, delayed age of sexual maturity and propensity to travel long distances between wetlands and uplands."In a Jan. 24 meeting, the state and Poland Spring arrived at a "preliminary agreement" about turtle mitigation:"Poland Spring will fund a Blanding's turtle survey in the vicinity of the known occurrence during the spring of 2006," Lindsay wrote. "Woodlot Alternatives is an environmental consulting firm that will be developing several options (for) this survey. These options will be presented to Poland Spring and MDIFW (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildllife) for review. The purpose of the survey is to determine the presence of a local population of Blanding's turtles, and propose means to minimize road-caused mortality at this site.""Poland Spring has offered to provide additional driver training, in consultation with MDIFW staff, to address ways that drivers can minimize road-caused mortality.""MDIFW will work with the Maine Department of Transportation to provide signage and/or fencing to reduce road-caused mortality of endangered turtles."Lindsay added, "Implementation of these strategies will be contingent upon the results of the survey by Woodlot Alternatives."In a Feb. 22 interview, Lindsay said potential turtle habitat would not include Lovewell Pond or other large water bodies."It's more so the smaller, forested wetlands and the little pocket wetlands that are going to provide habitat for them rather than a lake or a pond," he said.A survey likely would not happen until this spring, he said. Poland Spring is challenging the action of the Fryeburg Board of Appeals, which sided with East Fryeburg residents who are opposed to the truck-filling facility. The appeals board determined that the planning board, in approving the station, hadn't given adequate consideration to the effects of the proposed facility on the use and enjoyment of property by neighbors and on their property values.The station is where Poland Spring tanker trucks would fill up with water piped into the site from neighboring West Denmark. Petitioner for the original zoning board appeal was Western Maine Residents for Rural Living. This group argues a truck-filling station does not belong along a busy stretch of Route 302 in a rural residential zone. One of the main concerns raised by opponents to the station was the increase in tanker trucking on Route 302.Lindsay said a program to educate truck drivers, if deemed necessary, would not encourage drastic action if a turtle is spotted in the highway."We would be realistic about it," he said. "What we're saying is it's best if we can notify drivers whether they work for Poland Spring or for someone else there are certain times of year when there's likely to be more movement across roads. It's pretty much just notifying the drivers of when they may see them crossing the roads."The state also may encourage drivers to keep their speeds down, depending on findings from the survey, he predicted.Great Falls Dam in Hiram was the northernmost known range in Maine for the Blanding's turtle, prior to Russell's discovery. The survey may reveal that the discovery of the turtle last fall was a fluke."It could be there was nothing there," Lindsay said. "It could be we do a survey and nothing shows up. It is on the northern fringe of their habitat."