Vermont’s fish and wildlife commissioner is under fire from scientists over plans to rebuild populations of the Eastern spiny soft-shell turtle, with one saying Wayne Laroche "hijacked” the plan to suit other purposes.
An advisory panel, led by herpetologist Jim Andrews of Middlebury College, plans to recommend that the state Endangered Species Committee not endorse Laroche’s plan for the threatened species, 200 of which live in Missisquoi Bay.
Laroche says his goal is to improve the plan, reformatting it and adding information and recovery strategies.
The final decision about the plan will be made by state Natural Resources Secretary George Crombie.
The turtle, which is on the state’s list of threatened species, was the subject of a recovery plan drafted five years ago to guide wildlife managers’ actions to rebuild populations so it can be stricken from the threatened list.