The report said the rate of dead, disabled and diseased sea turtles discovered in the months following the massive April 20 spill was four to six times above average. The analysis, by the National Wildlife Federation, the Sea Turtle Conservancy and the Florida Wildlife Federation, was conservative and only took into account turtles found on shore, not those rescued or recovered at sea.

Researchers with the federal government said it would take years to determine the full impact of the spill on sea turtles. Necropsies have been done on more than half of 600 turtle carcasses, and while some may have died from oil, most of the turtles drowned in fishing gear, said Monica Allen, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association spokeswoman.

Unseasonably cold temperatures last winter were also detrimental to sea turtles, most of which are considered endangered, said Gary Appelson, policy coordinator for the Sea Turtle Conservancy. "Sea turtles have had a tough year,'' Appelson said.

The study follows on the work co-author David H. Rakison of Carnegie Mellon University did with spiders and infants as well as research Susan Mineka of Northwestern University did with monkeys, which when raised in a lab show no fear snakes. When Mineka attempted to instill a fear of rabbits, flowers, and snakes in the monkeys they much more readily learned to fear the snakes.

Arne Ohman at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden showed that for humans, once a fear of snakes or spiders is established, when a photo of a snake or spider is shown the fear response will last longer than a fear response learned to something less immediately threatening such as a mushroom. The research suggests an evolutionary tendency for humans to have the ability to quickly learn to fear these creepy crawlies and then respond metabolically longer in that state of fear during an encounter.

“Ideally, we’d like to have something that will either minimize or eliminate cancer cell growth in the body,” said Mackessy.

They are focusing on three different types of cancer: melanoma, colon and breast cancer.

“One of the reasons for looking at those three is that they’re very, very common in humans here in the United States. It’s a critical health concern,” said Mackessy.

Smith said both tracts are waterfront property that have unique wetlands habitats.

"Both tracts need to be conserved, but one in particular, the one that we call the Heron Bay tract, happens to be the only stronghold of the last remnant habitat for the diamondback terrapin, which is a big deal," Smith said.

"There's a lot of interest in that habitat and some universities have been studying that area for years, and that's basically the last remaining habitat in the state of Alabama for the diamondback terrapin, so we're really excited that we’re getting this award to purchase that property."

Smith said the state Forever Wild program will provide $379,500 in matching funds to buy the property.

The diamondback terrapin is the only turtle in North America that spends its life in brackish water. About 40 to 60 of the turtles are believed to live in south Mobile County, according to a 2008 Press-Register story. The reptile is listed as a species of 'highest conservation concern' by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.