May 16, 2013

Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWSR4ES20120103 Division of Policy and Directives Management U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042PDM Arlington, VA 22203 RE: Support of Critical Habitat Designation for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Loggerhead Sea Turtle FWSR4ES20120103 Dear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, On behalf of the following 35 undersigned organizations, representing millions of members and activists in the Southeast and across the nation, we are writing in support of the proposal for immediate designation of critical habitat on U.S. nesting beaches that are essential to the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Distinct Population Segment of the loggerhead sea turtle, as required under the Endangered Species Act (Act). Critical habitat provides protections that hasten endangered species recovery. Underscoring the importance of this proposed rule, these nesting areas are part of the most significant loggerhead nesting assemblages in the Western Hemisphere and one of the two largest loggerhead nesting assemblages in the world. Protecting this nesting habitat can make the difference in recovering these threatened loggerhead sea turtles from risk of extinction. Loggerhead sea turtles and their habitat face threats from climate change, coastal development, and increasing human use. Even when these threats do not kill sea turtles directly or destroy habitat, the added environmental stress and habitat degradation decreases nesting success, hatching success, and hatchling survivorship all of which decrease loggerhead sea turtles potential for reproduction and recovery. At a minimum, we urge the adoption and implementation of regulations that support the critical habitat protections proposed for 739.3 miles of coastline in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi that cover 84 percent of the loggerhead sea turtle nesting areas. In addition, several beaches that provide important nesting habitat for loggerhead turtles are not included in the proposed rule, such as the beaches extending southward of Hillsboro Inlet in Broward County, Florida. We urge the Service to include these and other important nesting beaches in the critical habitat designation and trust that pertinent information obtained during the public comment period will be utilized in this regard.

Beyond protecting the proposed critical habitat, we further implore the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to extend the critical habitat designation to all three key Florida counties' (Indian River, St. Johns, and Volusia) nesting beaches, which currently have Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). These HCPs and associated Incidental Take Permits cover only specific activities harmful to sea turtles and their habitat such as beach driving, not the full spectrum of threats. Also, these plans expire and are vulnerable to changes in local budgets and administration, therefore, it is important that critical habitat be designated across all essential loggerhead nesting beaches. Critical habitat protection is permanent and will help ensure there are places for sea turtles to safely lay their eggs and that the new hatchlings will survive and be able to begin their ocean travels. We also urge USFWS to consider adding more nesting beaches, upland areas and unoccupied habitat areas to the proposed designation to provide loggerheads access to alternative nesting areas as populations increase and climate change triggers the rise of sea levels and sand temperatures that reduce current habitat. Critical habitat designation will help cities, counties, and states to plan coastal activities and mitigate threats to existing and potential future loggerhead nesting habitat. By clearly identifying the critical habitat areas, the designation provides planners with notice of the areas that should be protected. On behalf of our members and supporters, we urge you to include in critical habitat designation for loggerheads the three Florida counties nesting beaches now proposed for exclusion due to HCPs, additional nesting beaches, upland areas, and unoccupied habitat areas. We thank you for your consideration and action as you finalize this important critical habitat proposal for the Northwest Atlantic population of loggerhead sea turtles.
Stephen Wells Executive Director Animal Legal Defense Fund 170 E. Cotati Ave Cotati, CA 94931 www.aldf.org Susan Millward Executive Director Animal Welfare Institute 900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20003 www.awionline.org Suzi Fox Director Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring 2213 Avenue B Bradenton Beach, FL 34217 www.islandturtlewatch.com Carl Safina President & Professor Blue Ocean Institute, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Center for Communicating Science 100 Nicolls Rd Stony Brook, NY 11790 www.blueocean.org Monica Engebretson Senior Program Associate Born Free USA 1122 S Street Sacramento, CA 95811 www.bornfreeusa.org Beth Stewart Executive Director Cahaba River Society 2717 7th Avenue South, Suite 205 Birmingham, AL 35233 www.cahabariversociety.org

Jaclyn Lopez Staff Attorney Center for Biological Diversity P.O. Box 2155 St Petersburg, FL 33731 www.biologicaldiversity.org William W. Rossiter President Cetacean Society International 65 Redding Road-0953 Georgetown, CT 06829-0953 www.csiwhalesalive.org

Jason Rylander Senior Staff Attorney Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street N.W. Washington D.C. 20036-4604 www.defenders.org Catherine Eastman President Eastman Environmental 924 Windward Way St. Augustine, FL 32080 www.EastmanEnvironmental.org Marcella Matthaei Treasurer and Vice President Ocean Affairs Friends of Matanzas 1093 A1A Beach Blvd, PMB 205 St. Augustine, FL 32080-6733 Marcie Keever Oceans & Vessels Program Director Friends of the Earth David Brower Center 2150 Allston Way, Suite 240, Berkeley, CA 94704 www.foe.org John Hocevar Oceans Campaign Director Greenpeace USA 702 H St. NW, Ste. 300 Washington, DC 20001 www.greenpeace.org Cynthia Sarthou Executive Director Gulf Restoration Network PO Box 2245 New Orleans, LA 70176 www.healthygulf.org Sharon Young Field Director, Marine Wildlife Protection The Humane Society of the United States 2100 L Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 www.humanesociety.org

Arthur Kopelman President Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island 150 Idle Hour Blvd. Oakdale, NY 11769-1999 www.cresli.org Marjorie Ziegler Executive Director Conservation Council for Hawaii PO Box 2923 Honolulu, HI 96802 www.conservehi.org Jennifer Hecker, Director of Natural Resource Policy Conservancy of Southwest Florida 1450 Merrihue Dr. Naples, FL 34102 www.conservancy.org

Kelly Bragg Zone 3 captain, publicity, and board member Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol 176 Marsh Island Drive Kiawah Island, SC 29455 www.KiawahTurtles.com Alfredo Quarto Executive Director Mangrove Action Project PO Box 1854 Port Angeles, WA 98362 mangroveactionproject.org

Ed Tichenor Director Palm Beach County Reef Rescue PO Box 207 Boynton Beach, FL 33425 www.reef-rescue.org/ Mary Hamilton Executive Director SandyHook SeaLife Foundation 326 Stokes Rd. #372 Medford, NJ 08055 www.sandyhooksealife.org Debbie Sherman Executive Director Save the Turtles, Inc. 5114 Parkhurst Dr Santa Rosa, CA 95409 www.saveturtles.org Dave Raney Chair, Marine Action Team Sierra Club 85 Second Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 www.sierraclub.org Robert Wintner Executive Director The Snorkel Bob Foundation 700 Kapahulu Ave. Honolulu, HI 96816 www.snorkelbob.com Katie Zimmerman Director of the Air, Water, and Public Health Program SC Coastal Conservation League 328 East Bay Street Charleston, SC 29402 www.coastalconservationleague.org Scott Wallace Senior Research Scientist David Suzuki Foundation 219 2211 West 4th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6K 4S2 www.davidsuzuki.org

Karen Fitzgerald, President Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.) P.O. Box 1168 Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 www.nestonline.org Michael Stocker Director Ocean Conservation Research P.O. Box 559 Lagunitas, CA 94938 www.ocr.org Beth Lowell Campaign Director Oceana 1350 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 www.oceana.org

John Carlson, Research Analyst S.T.O.P. Ft. Lauderdale, FL 31316 Seaturtleop.org/broward Teri Shore Program Director Turtle Island Restoration Network P. O. Box 370 Forest Knolls, CA 94933 www.seaturtles.org Mark Martindale Director The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd. St. Augustine, FL 32080-8610 www.whitney.ufl.edu Zach Plopper Wildlands Conservation Program Manager WiLDCOAST 925 Seacoast Dr. Imperial Beach, CA 91932 www.wildcoast.net James Jay Tutchton General Council WildEarth Guardians 6439 E. Maplewood Ave. Centennial, CO 80111 www.wildearthguardians.org