Prescribed burn destroys wildlife at Robinson Preserve

MANATEE -- A prescribed burn at Robinson Preserve earlier this week harmed wildlife, a Bradenton resident discovered.

When Jarrett Toth was at the preserve Monday evening, he noticed a dead gopher tortoise, which he says was burned by the fire.

"This is a preserve that is supposed to preserve wildlife, not supposed to wipe it out," Toth said.

In Florida, gopher tortoises are listed as threatened, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.

"Both the tortoise and its burrow are protected under state law," according to the FWC website. "Gopher tortoises must be relocated before any land clearing or development takes place, and property owners must obtain permits from the FWC

before capturing and relocating tortoises."

Monday's burn was done "to reduce the buildup of hazardous fuels and promote the growth flowering and seed set of native grasses and wildflowers," Mike Elswick, county Natural Resources Division manager, said in a statement late Wednesday.

"Tortoises are dependent on fire to reduce shrubs and promote the growth of grasses and wildflowers that they eat," he said. "The prescribed burn at Robinson went well and was completed safely. During the burn, a large variety of rabbits, rodents and snakes were seen fleeing to safety nearby. Ignition techniques were designed to limit flame heights and rates of spread both to limit tree mortality and to allow wildlife the opportunity to escape."

The area where the burn was conducted is a poor habitat for the gopher tortoises because of the shallow water table, Elswick said.

"The area has never been known to support gopher tortoises," he said. "Previous burrow surveys revealed no gopher tortoise burrows on site, only a large number of rabbit burrows."

The gopher tortoise was Toth's first sign wildlife had been harmed by the 16-acre prescribed burn.

Manatee County government tweeted at 10:47 a.m. Monday about the prescribed burn at Robinson Preserve, 1704 99th St. NW.

Prescribed fires are "intentionally set under controlled conditions to achieve specific management objectives. The use of prescribed fire is widely accepted as a primary tool for habitat restoration and management," according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website.

In the area burned Monday, a gopher tortoise was burned as well as birds' nests, bunny dens and snakes, Toth said.

"They could have burned any time of the year other than when these animals are breeding," he said. "They annihilated every single animal in that area."

Manatee County officials said "it is highly likely that prior to the burn, a well-intentioned visitor released the tortoise in the preserve, unaware that it was not a good site for that animal to thrive.

"The tortoise did not have time to dig a burrow where it would have been able to seek refuge from advancing flames as tortoises have done for millennia in fire-prone habitats," the county statement continues.

The burn targeted blackberries in the area, but could have happened at another time of year, Toth said.

"They chose to do it right in the middle of when the blackberries are blooming," he said. "There were so many animals in this patch. ... Ultimately every single piece of wildlife paid the price for that. Basically, they did it out of spite because people were picking the blackberries, which they actually told us we could do to begin with."

During 12 years of conducting prescribed burns and doing post-burn surveys, Manatee County has never seen a fire kill a tortoise, according to Elswick.

"Gopher tortoise mortality under prescribed burn activities does happen, but very, very rarely," he said. "Tortoises are faster than their reputation suggests and do not stray great distances from the safety of their burrows. Since this tortoise had no burrow to take shelter in, the outcome was inevitable, as tragic as it was."

This incident is a teachable moment, Elswick said, adding anyone who sees a gopher tortoise injured or in jeopardy should contact FWC.

"Do not attempt to relocate the animal yourself," he said. "Gopher tortoises have strong homing instincts and will attempt to cross dangerous highways to return home."

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter @Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 11:49 PM with the headline "Prescribed burn destroys wildlife at Robinson Preserve ."