Concern for turtle may slow SugarHouse work

Activists hoping to stop the planned SugarHouse casino might have an unexpected ally - the red-bellied turtle.

It turns out that the turtle, considered a threatened species in Pennsylvania, is known to inhabit the Delaware River near the project site.

And the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission wants the casino to take steps to protect the turtle, which likes to burrow into the soft riverbanks to hibernate and could be disturbed by any excavation in the water.

The casino is to bring 3,000 slot machines to the Fishtown and Northern Liberties neighborhoods on the riverfront.

In a letter last month to a SugarHouse engineer, the commission said any river excavation, with the exception of pile driving, should be conducted between May and Oct. 15 to avoid any harm to the turtle.

In addition, during any in-stream construction activities, a biologist should inspect the project work area, file a report if a red-bellied turtle is observed, and then relocate the turtle to a place outside the project area.

And then, a special wetlands complex is to be created upstream on the river bank, complete with basking logs, nesting habitat and a vegetative buffer - with construction to be supervised by a "qualified red-bellied turtle biologist."

Dan Fee, a spokesman for SugarHouse, said last night that the casino had done a full investigation and found that the turtle does not nest or live on the project site.

Fee said the casino had cooperated with the commission's requests and remained confident that building will proceed on schedule.

"We're moving forward as fast as we can," said Fee, who said that "heavy construction" is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

State Rep. Mike O'Brien (D., Phila.), whose district includes the SugarHouse site, said the extra care to protect the turtle population is not likely to kill the project, but may delay it.

"Clearly, the letter . . . said they should not be disturbed during hibernation," said O'Brien, noting that what is built at the site "will affect the waterfront over the next hundred years."

He said environmental concerns are a valid issue.

"You've got to go through the process," said O'Brien, one of seven legislators who filed a lawsuit contending that part of the casino is planned for submerged river land owned by the state and that the city had no power to allow developers to build there.