Published: July 15, 2008 03:31 pm            

Planning for loggerheads' recovery

Submitted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources



A draft update of the loggerhead recovery plan is open for public comment until July 29. First written in the late 1970s and updated in 1991, the revised plan reflects new research on the threatened sea turtles and two years of work by a panel including DNR Wildlife Resources senior biologist Mark Dodd.

The 306-page draft was done in concert with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Details describe recovery plans, goals and management. The goal: De-list loggerheads, first listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1978.

Wide-ranging implications of the plan vary from education to businesses affected by turtle regulations. See www.fws.gov/northflorida/SeaTurtles/loggerhead-recovery/development-schedule.htm for a plan overview.



Comment by July 29 to seaturtle@fws.gov or the following:



** NMFS National Sea Turtle Coordinator

Attn: Draft Loggerhead Recovery Plan

Office of Protected Resources

National Marine Fisheries Service

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13657

Silver Spring, MD 20910



** USFWS National Sea Turtle Coordinator

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

6620 Southpoint Drive South, Suite 310

Jacksonville, FL 32216

(fax: 301-713-0376; Attn: NMFS National Sea Turtle Coordinator)

        

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