Fla. Man Fights for Turtles Against Navy

[darrels joy]

Fla. Man Fights for Turtles Against Navy

Thursday, March 18, 2004

MARATHON, Fla. ? In Marathon, Fla., Ritchie Moretti runs the state's only certified hospital for endangered sea turtles (search).

Moretti's embroiled in a fight with the Navy (search) and has filed a federal lawsuit to stop a $36 million dredging project under way in Key West Harbor (search) to make the waterway deep enough for Navy ships to train in. Moretti says the dredge can carelessly crush the turtles.

"It'll suck it [turtle] up like a vacuum cleaner and it's got gears in it and it grinds it up," Moretti said.

The Navy says before it began dredging, it agreed to nearly 70 conditions to protect the environment ? turtles and all. But homeland security and national defense are its top mission.

"We have a job to do and as I said, part of it is taking a look at the resources that exist," said Capt. Jim Scholl, commanding officer of the naval air station at Key West. "Key West, because of its location, is a very good strategic location for year-round access."

A slew of state and federal environmental agencies are backing the military's decision to dredge, but Moretti says as long as it continues, turtles are in danger. He hopes a federal judge will hear his case before any other turtles are killed.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114504,00.html

[SparrowHawk62]

Here's the local headlines. Turtle killing Squid invade Key West Harbor. Local man fights along side turles against killer Squids. Security to move quickly to kill slow moving residents.