{"id":35129,"date":"2022-08-18T05:00:46","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T10:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=35129"},"modified":"2022-08-17T19:11:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T00:11:07","slug":"something-that-cant-be-replaced-what-a-turnpike-project-could-mean-for-oklahoma-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2022\/08\/18\/something-that-cant-be-replaced-what-a-turnpike-project-could-mean-for-oklahoma-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Something that can&#8217;t be replaced&#8217;: What a turnpike project could mean for Oklahoma wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 6px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/f5dce6fd-30b1-4deb-b456-84feaee8acbd\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a thumb wedged between a beak, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wildcareoklahoma.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WildCare Oklahoma<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> veterinarian Dr. Kyle Abbott delicately threaded a feeding tube down the throat of an adult male bald eagle. The massive bird\u2019s tail feathers are stained a deep rust color from the red Oklahoma dirt and bound in bubble wrap to keep it from damage while moving around in its crate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If all goes well, the raptor will soon have a second surgery to repair the broken humerus bone that brought it to WildCare. Then it faces months of physical therapy before returning to the wild.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35130\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35130\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-672x448.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9698.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Animal care staff member Bryce Messer restrains an adult male bald eagle as WildCare veterinarian Dr. Kyle Abbott administers a feeding tube. A broken humerus is usually indicative of being struck by a car or flying into a telephone pole or telephone wire, Abbott said.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WildCare is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility based out of Noble, Oklahoma. It takes in over 7,000 wild animals annually, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in the country. It also sits about half of a mile from the proposed route of a 19-mile, $650 million turnpike extension.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accessoklahoma.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACCESS Oklahoma<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Turnpike project from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is a 15-year, $5 billion project to build several turnpike routes in central, southern and northeastern Oklahoma. There\u2019s been a substantial public backlash against the project \u2014 an opposition group with over 8,000 members on its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/nomoreturnpikes\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook page<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, two lawsuits and multiple packed community meetings full of posterboard-wielding residents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among mounting concerns about the displacement of families, fair compensation for property acquisition and an intrusion on a rural lifestyle, residents who regularly see deer grazing in their yards and eagles soaring overhead are also wondering, what\u2019s going to happen to all the wildlife and the facility that takes care of them? And how far does the law go to protect them?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inger Giuffrida, executive director of WildCare, said the turnpike could have serious repercussions.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWere this route to go through, we don\u2019t know at this point whether or not the pollution, the noise, the light would make the work we do untenable. My gut instinct is yes,\u201d Giuffrida said. \u201cAnd it just again seems wrong that a few people whose role is to build turnpikes can undo the work of thousands. Let alone the displacement of thousands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35131\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35131\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-672x448.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9273.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">WildCare Executive Director Inger Giuffrida stands outside of the front door of the rehabilitation facility. WildCare began as a home-based wildlife rehab in 1984 and has since grown to one of the largest centers in the country.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><b>\u2018Once you put that road in, it cannot be undone.\u2019<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While walking around the outdoor enclosures at WildCare, Education and Outreach Coordinator Kristy Wicker stopped near one fenced area containing a coyote. The animal was in distress, running and pacing back and forth, mouth open and panting, with the whites of its eyes flashing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wicker told StateImpact that just the presence of humans in the vicinity of a wild animal can cause stress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou and I aren\u2019t talking very loudly,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cBut still, he knows we\u2019re here, and that\u2019s making him very nervous. And we certainly don\u2019t want that if an animal is injured or compromised already.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the immediate physical danger fast-moving cars present to wildlife, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/doi\/10.1098\/rspb.2013.2290\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research suggests<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the noise alone from the roads trigger declines in wildlife abundance, further fragmenting the animals\u2019 habitats. There\u2019s a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/brv.12207\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">significant body of research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showing the detrimental effects anthropogenic noise has on wildlife.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35132\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35132\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-672x448.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9712.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">WildCare&#8217;s 5000th patient of the year, an injured roadrunner receives an injection of fluids by veterinarian Dr. Kyle Abbott.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Giuffrida said stress can lead to grave complications for hurt or sick animals, and that they often injure themselves trying to get away from humans.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSo that\u2019s why you have an animal that will jump higher than it can to try to escape noises or anything that feels like a threat. You\u2019ve heard of animals chewing their paws off in traps,\u201d Giuffrida said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s one of the reasons that I\u2019m so profoundly concerned about the noise that this turnpike is going to bring, because it will create a constant level of stress for the animals here.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Giuffrida said she\u2019s also worried about an increase in roadkill and orphaned baby animals. She said past road projects have yielded influxes of injured animals hit by cars and abandoned young, and she expected the same will happen with the new turnpike extensions.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, Giuffrida said, WildCare may have to move. She doesn\u2019t know where, when or how, but that it will probably cost the organization in the ballpark of $2.5-5 million. The facility is currently in need of several new enclosures and equipment, but decisions on improvements are stuck in limbo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat\u2019s something we\u2019re trying to determine right now as an organization.\u201d Giuffrida said. \u201cPart of me is just furious that I have to spend our time, that our staff has to go through that stress, that our board has to go through these considerations, rather than focusing on the important work that we do, day in and day out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35134\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35134\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-672x448.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9253.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A WildCare staff member feeds a baby squirrel. For the last three years, the center has taken in over 7,200 animals yearly.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kirsten McCullough, the environmental manager for the ACCESS program, acknowledged WildCare\u2019s concerns about having to relocate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c[WildCare is] not sure right now if their facility is going to be able to stay based on the location of the [turnpike] alignment and whether the noise and other things are going to be too much of an impact,\u201d McCullough said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s really a decision that they\u2019re going to need to make.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35133\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35133\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-672x448.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9701.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A WildCare staff member holds a baby Eastern Red Bat. The bat was brought to the rehab center with several of its siblings.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McCullough said the OTA is committed to work with WildCare on impact mitigation strategies, and the agency is considering tactics such as wildlife crossings to facilitate access to resources like Lake Thunderbird and creating additional habitat near the lake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Giuffrida said cutting off wildlife from cover, food and water will have devastating effects on the local ecosystem, and she\u2019d rather see no turnpike at all than have to weigh mitigation strategies.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis is not a feel-good issue. Wildlife is important. It\u2019s intrinsically important,\u201d Giuffrida said. \u201cWe rely on wildlife more than we recognize for so many different things. (&#8230;) That we as a state do not value the wildlife and the wild habitat that they rely on is, I think, one of the greatest tragedies of our leadership right now. Once you put that road in, it cannot be undone.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><b>How far does wildlife protection law go?<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some animals in the path of the turnpike are protected by federal law, such as eagles and whooping cranes. But those protections only go so far when confronted with the interests of industry.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bald eagles that frequent Lake Thunderbird are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. But built into these protection laws are mechanisms that allow industry to still develop in wildlife habitats, mainly in the form of incidental take permits. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/USCODE-2011-title16\/pdf\/USCODE-2011-title16-chap35-sec1532.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d refers to actions or attempts to \u201charass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect\u201d an animal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tulsa-based U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Kevin Stubbs said <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fws.gov\/service\/3-200-71-eagle-take-associated-not-purpose-activity-incidental-take\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legal routes exist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to continue developing around protected animals like eagles, but that every effort should be made to avoid impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou can apply for a permit if there is no way to avoid impacting the nest, but we recommend looking at options through modifications of the route or timing of construction to avoid impacts to the nest tree or nesting eagles,\u201d Stubbs wrote in an email to StateImpact. \u201cWe work with ODOT and OTA on all their projects to minimize impacts and get permits if needed.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McCullough said the OTA would only acquire a take permit to move nests as a last resort, and that the agency would \u201cmake all effort\u201d to avoid needing to remove nests or nesting trees.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lena Larsson is the executive director at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.suttoncenter.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sutton Avian Research Center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Bartlesville. The nonprofit maps eagle nests across the state and is often consulted by ODOT on whether these nests will interfere with road construction. The center depends on data collected by citizen scientists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI don\u2019t have perfect data,\u201d Larsson said. \u201cSo we really depend on the public to inform us of their observations. So they can go on our website and say, \u2018Hey, there\u2019s an eagle nest here,\u2019 and [the Sutton Center] can go and check it out and verify that it is indeed an eagle nest and if it\u2019s active or not. And then we can have our volunteers start monitoring that nest.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Larsson said though residents around the southeast Norman area frequently see bald eagles, the raptors are likely just using the Thunderbird area to hunt, rather than nest. Currently, Larsson only has one nest mapped near the lake.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whooping cranes are another protected animal residents have spotted in the southeast Norman area. These cranes are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stubbs said the cranes\u2019 only protected critical habitat in Oklahoma is at the Salt Plains. While whooping cranes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tulsaworld.com\/news\/local\/endangered-whooping-cranes-make-surprise-visit-to-lake-thunderbird\/article_46806c87-d34b-51ec-b7b0-50a746d0b4b4.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have been observed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stopping around Lake Thunderbird during migration, McCullough said that doesn\u2019t prevent development from happening in the area when the birds aren\u2019t around.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35137\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 522px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35137\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-522x672.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"522\" height=\"672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-522x672.png 522w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-1491x1920.png 1491w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-768x989.png 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-1193x1536.png 1193w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-1591x2048.png 1591w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-117x150.png 117w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-620x798.png 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map-839x1080.png 839w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/Whooping-Crane-map.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A map showing the migratory route of the endangered whooping crane.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf whooping cranes are spotted within even a mile of the construction site, we stop and make sure that they\u2019re not harassed or bothered until they depart the area,\u201d McCullough said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a pretty standard note, because the whooping cranes are a protected species that we put in all of our construction projects.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Julia Reynolds chairs the Red Earth Group, which is the Norman chapter of the Sierra Club. She said the organization is especially concerned about whether the whooping crane will still be able to hunt around Lake Thunderbird during migration season.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf the wetlands are too disturbed by roads and humans, then [whooping cranes] can\u2019t really go there,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cAnd it makes fewer places available for them to feed along their migratory route all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, around Texas and Louisiana. (&#8230;) This turnpike could be a really major setback as they rebound from the brink of extinction.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The OTA will also be conducting environmental impact surveys, which McCullough said will be completed prior to any property acquisition \u2014 except in instances where residents have already approached the OTA about buyouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McCullough said there will be several studies in each construction area, including: a threatened and endangered species habitat assessment and surveys focused on cultural resources, archeology and historic property. Each survey takes a few months, and she said the agency plans to have all of them completed within a year.<\/span><\/p><p><b>\u2018Something that can\u2019t be replaced.\u2019<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brigitte Kersten-Gates has lived in a house tucked away in the quiet woods around southeast Norman for 24 years. She frequently calls the land her and her husband\u2019s \u201cparadise.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a lot more peaceful,\u201d Kersten-Gates said. \u201cYou\u2019re not in the city. You don\u2019t hear sirens constantly going off. You don\u2019t hear your neighbors screaming and yelling at each other. You\u2019re out here, you\u2019ve got nature. Nature calms you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35139\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35139\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-672x378.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-672x378.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_3590-620x349.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Courtesy of Brigitte Kersten-Gates<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brigitte Kersten-Gates says she has thousands of pictures collected over the years from her mounted wildlife cam.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kersten-Gates previously suffered a heart attack that left her heart working at about 35% capacity. Hearing nothing but the wildlife and the wind through the trees doesn\u2019t just help her health, but she said it\u2019s also \u201cgood for the soul.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But soon, the tapping of woodpeckers and hoots of owls could be drowned out by the proposed turnpike extension, which is set to run through the middle of her property. She often quotes a song from Counting Crows:<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDon\u2019t pave paradise and put up a parking lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kersten-Gates is full of stories about interactions with local wildlife. From the occasional roar of a mountain lion to mischievous racoons, from hungry bobcats to watching a deer give birth to twins in her driveway, she cherishes the flora and fauna that surround her home.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She\u2019s even made her property a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nwf.org\/CertifiedWildlifeHabitat?campaignid=WH22VSY&utm_source=gfwhomepage&utm_medium=webpage&utm_campaign=default&utm_content=default_gfw_homepagesquare_FY22\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Certified Wildlife Habitat<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the National Wildlife Federation. Though the designation doesn\u2019t come with legal protections, it recognizes the area as having adequate food, water, cover, places to raise young and sustainable practices to support the local wildlife.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_35135\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-35135\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-672x448.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-672x448.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-620x413.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2022\/08\/IMG_9677.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Beth Wallis\/StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brigitte Kersten-Gates stands next to a sign designating her land as a Certified Wildlife Habitat from the National Wildlife Federation.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To Kersten-Gates, this ecosystem deserves to be protected.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI want to be able to build a garden if I want, to watch the wildlife, watch the birth of a baby deer,\u201d Kersten-Gates said. \u201cI mean, and the baby squirrels and stuff like that, even though they tear up your plants. I\u2019m ok with that! I get to see all that. And to me, that means a lot. I mean, this is life. Something that can\u2019t be replaced.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a thumb wedged between a beak, WildCare Oklahoma veterinarian Dr. Kyle Abbott delicately threaded a feeding tube down the throat of an adult male bald eagle. The massive bird\u2019s tail feathers are stained a deep rust color from the red Oklahoma dirt and bound in bubble wrap to keep it from damage while moving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":35136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[492,491,301,1],"tags":[1404,1443,1396,1444,1439,656],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35129"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35145,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35129\/revisions\/35145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}