The other evening while driving east on State Road 52 just before dusk, I spotted a deer in a field. It was such a delight to see that graceful animal leaping in the grass instead of dead by the side of the road, and it got me to thinking about roadkill in general.

I remember one day a couple of years ago while driving out of Lake Park, I saw a large gopher turtle in the middle of the road. Since I was on a park road, it was a simple matter to stop my car and get out to move the turtle off the road. Even so, I felt a little awkward about delaying other motorists. However, when one truck pulled around my car and the young man driving it honked at me and gave me a thumbs up sign, I realized I was not alone in trying to avoid this particular roadkill.

About a year later, after covering a story in Odessa, I was on my way back to the office, driving around an S-curve in one of our rare, remaining rural areas when I again saw a large turtle in the road. It was in the other lane and had decided with its turtle brain, perhaps influenced by big things moving all around it, to stop, tuck in its head and hide inside its shell (I’ve felt that way a time or two myself). Since it was sitting just around the curve where a driver would not see it until it was too late, I figured its chance for a long and happy life was rapidly diminishing.

Again, I pulled off the road and walked over to move it. However, this was not a gopher turtle, and I wasn’t sure how safe it would be to pick it up, having heard tales of their Rubber Man necks and ability to snap off a thumb should it perceive that digit as a threat.
Since carrying a pair of turtle-bite-resistant gloves in my car wasn’t a habit I had developed, I stood there looking at the turtle, trying to nudge it with my foot to no avail and keeping a wary eye on the road in case a car should come.
Within minutes, a good Samaritan approached from the other direction, sized up the situation, parked behind my car and came to my aid. He, too, seemed very reluctant to pick up the turtle, which made me feel better about my own cowardice, though it didn’t do anything to help the turtle. Then he donned a pair of gloves, picked up the turtle and deposited it close to the creek we decided might be its home.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been in a situation where I could save a deer, and I see dead ones by the side of the road all too frequently. As habitats are replaced by bedroom communities, it’s a sight that will probably continue as long as there is wild life left to kill. To make matters worse, the more people that move into an area, the more likely the population growth will be inevitably followed by commercial development. That’s a bad thing and a good thing. If we have more people living in our area using schools and roads and utilities, we need a tax base to pay for the infrastructure. That means we need businesses, because bedroom communities alone don’t generate enough taxes to keep the area functioning.
All in all, it looks pretty grim for Tommy Turtle or Davy Deer or any wild creature thinking, like the chicken, it has to get to the other side of the road. However, while progress bulldozes its way into our asphalt future, there are strategies that can help save the animals that once roamed without fear over the lands. Instead of fighting a losing battle with progress, environmental groups might want to push for some of the measures other states have used with good results.
Sturdy fences can cut tortoise roadkill by a large percentage, and “Watch out for deer” signs help get motorists to slow down. Converting road remnants not economically feasible for development into natural habitat areas and reducing the mowing of roadside areas that transition from natural habitat to development will also help. To check out many other examples of how transportation agencies are reducing highways’ impact on wildlife, visit “Keeping It Simple: Easy Ways to Protect Wildlife Along Roads” at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlifeprotection, a Web site developed by the Federal Highway Administration.

Blogging
While you’re surfing the Web, readers who like to chat online can visit my traffic column and blog until your fingers turn blue. To get there, go to http://www.tbo.com, click on “Community,” then click on “Traffic” and finally click on my mug shot. See you there.

Road closures
The northbound land, then the southbound lane of Gunn Highway from Tarpon Springs Road to Lutz Lake Fern Road will be closed in the daytime only for roadway repairs May 1-19. No detour is required.
The northbound lane, then the southbound lane on East Belmack Boulevard from South Belmack Boulevard to North Belmack Boulevard will be closed in the daytime only to repair culverts from April 26 through May 1. No detour is required.

Today’s bumper sticker
I would kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Carole Dickey is a staff writer and a Pasco County resident.  Send your rants and raves about traffic and motorists in the Land O’ Lakes/Wesley Chapel/New Tampa areas to .