Georgia Says Dredging On Coast Could Hurt Sea Turtles

A loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Ossabaw Island, Ga.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP

Georgia wildlife officials and advocates are at odds with the federal government over a plan that locals say could kill sea turtles that nest on Georgia’s coast.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin dredging off the coast in May or possibly sooner. It’s a change from the dredging schedule the agency has stuck with for the past few decades, a schedule that worked around sea turtle nesting season in the Southeast.

The Corps says the different timing, approved towards the end of the Trump Administration, allows for better conservation work.