Endangered turtle could put snag in resort casino project

Will be addressed in March hearing

The red-bellied cooter, a turtle named on both the state and federal endangered species lists, is present on the 500-acre site where the Mashpee Wampanoag are planning a resort casino.

MIDDLEBOROUGH - Opponents of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's plan for a resort casino in Middleborough have found a potential ally in their bid to block the project. Weighing in at 10 pounds and favoring naps in the sun, it is the northern red-bellied cooter, a turtle that is listed on both state and federal endangered species lists.

What impact the turtle's presence on the rural, 500-acre site will have on the project is unknown. Opponents said they hope it will force developers to curtail or scrap the project, which will be up for an environmental hearing sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on March 4.

Rich Young - president of a group opposed to the project called Casinofacts - said his group has registered with the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an interested party in the Wampanoag's application to put the land into trust and will make a presentation at the hearing.

Casinofacts will focus on potential groundwater pollution, environmental impact of increased traffic, and damage to habitat, he said.

The red-bellied cooter is confined to ponds and wetlands in Plymouth County. Their diminished numbers may be related, in part, to the destruction of their sandy nesting habitat by development, wildlife biologists say.

Other species with lower levels of protection on the property include the four-toed salamander, the Eastern box turtle, and a fish called a bridle shiner, said Robert Keough, spokesman for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. They are listed as a "species of special concern."

Also present is a moth, called a water willow stem borer, which is classified by the state as a threatened species, he said.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs review is part of the application process to place the land in federal trust.

The Wampanoag tribe is still studying environmental issues on the site and was not yet prepared to comment on turtles or other species, Scott Ferson, a spokesman for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, said last night.

"The tribe is not aware of any specific concerns that might be raised" at the March 4 hearing, he said. Much of the site study so far has focused on engineering, he added.

Casino opponents intend to turn out in force at the hearing.

"We'll be there to testify, submit in writing, and do everything else we can do," said Nancy Yeatts, chairwoman of the Lakeville Board of Selectmen and an 18-town coalition called the Regional Task Force on Casino Impacts.

"They're going to be drawing 1.5 million gallons a day out of the ground water," Yeatts said.

The task force has also raised concern over the impact of major waste water discharge on the Taunton River Basin and problems related to solid waste disposal.

Task Force member David Wojnar, an Acushnet selectman, said the hearing offers residents of surrounding towns an opportunity to state their case.

"This is really the first time for us to express our concerns at the federal level," he said.

Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com.

Correction: Because of incorrect information provided by the state Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, a story in Saturday's City & Region section erroneously said five species of wildlife warranting various levels of protection inhabit 500 acres targeted for a Mashpee Wampanoag tribal casino in Middleborough. Four of the species, including a type of turtle called the Northern red-bellied cooter, are only known to be in the "immediate vicinity" of the site but have not been have verified as living there. One, the Eastern box turtle, has been verified as inhabiting the site.

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