The Writing is on the Road

Since October 22 of last year, 18 gopher tortoises have been hit on Marco Island roads, according to Audubon Western Everglades field biologist Britany Piersma. But a creative idea from the city’s Public Works Department may just help to lower that number in the future.

The city’s Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee (BchCRAC) put their heads together with the city’s Public Works Department and Audubon Western Everglades’ Britany Piersma to brainstorm ways to help save the tortoises.

They came up with the idea to add pavement markings to warn motorists when they are in an area where gopher tortoises are likely to cross the road. They are starting off with six pavement markings.

"We are trying a different alert system,” said Kathryn Grigsby, the city’s environmental planner. "The Beach and Coastal Committee are the ones who actually funded those purchases. And in collaboration with Audubon, they helped to identify some key areas where constant strikes are taking place. The goal, of course, is to put them in those high-traffic areas where there is still some undeveloped property where the gopher tortoises are living and feeding. It's just another way to try to alert drivers as they're going around. And even if you're on foot or on a bike, you'll see it.”

"The function is to notify drivers that they're in a habitat where you may find a gopher tortoise crossing the road,” Grigsby continued. “So ideally, they will alert people driving so that they'll slow down. As we know, it’s a busy time with all the part-timers and the visitors. It’s also a busy time for Gopher Tortoises. And so there's usually a lot of strikes, unfortunately, at this time of year.”

Piersma has been surveying Gopher Tortoise habitat with volunteers on the island for the last two years. She is painfully aware of the areas where most of the gopher tortoises have been hit.

"I have documented all tortoise car strikes reported,” Piersma said. "The main target area is along South Barfield near Hawaii and Dogwood. If any were still alive, we transported them to the Conservancy for humane euthanasia."  

Piersma is happy with the pavement markings.

"We are extremely supportive of the roadway artwork that Public Works promoted as an option,” Piersma said. "Education and enforcement are still required. Recently I went around with (BchCRAC chair) Lindsay Boehner to post laminated educational signs about owls and tortoises that I created in English and Spanish for all construction sites." 

The pavement markers are hard to miss - they’re a large bright yellow box with the word Gopher in large type above a bold graphic of a gopher tortoise. The word Crossing is written underneath the graphic. The pavement markings have been strategically placed.

“Our public works department installed them for us,” Grigsby said. "You won't see them side by side, but they tend to kind of box in an area on the road. They're in groups of two.”

Piersma has a strong message to motorists on the island.

"People need to slow down and keep their eyes on the road,” Piersma said. "If you hit a tortoise by accident, please stay with it and call the Conservancy so we can come transport it as soon as possible. You will not get in trouble. If left alone, it may manage to make it into its burrow and suffer."

Nancy Richie, who served as the city’s environmental specialist from 1999-2015, is delighted with the new pavement markings.

"I like them,” Nancy Richie said, "and hope it saves some tortoises.”