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CURRENT NEWS
Ashton's Comments On Guidelines to be Presented to FWC April 9, 2008
Please read and send your comments to FWC Commissioners....more.
Ray Ashton Receives Award from The Environmental & Land Use Committee of the Florida Bar
Ray Ashton was awarded the 2008 Citizen's Award at the 14th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference on February 29, 2008....more.
World's Largest Gopher Tortoise Crushed To Death In Florida
The world’s largest gopher tortoise has died from wounds suffered when he was crushed on a Fort Myers construction site last April 2007...more.
Draft Guidelines "Repaired??" By FWC Staff
Heading for approval by the FWC Commission April 6 in Tallahassee
The GT Advisory Group (Stakeholders) had their meeting with FWC staff on February 6. We were shocked to see that much of the material that the 7 subcommittees and the meeting of scientists had been changed for the worse. Also missing was how tortoise conservation was going to be financed over and above the permitting fees that were clearly delineated. How do we pay for Conservation Easements on private land? Oversight of monitoring and management? Perpetual Management of recipient sites?
The issue of 5 tortoises or less on single family home sites was established in a way that without county oversight will be come as great as Incidental Take in killing tortoises on site. Of course so few people will get permits, FWC will not worry about data on increased deaths.
Hopefully FWC got the picture that the folks in the Advisory Group were asking is FWC and advocate of tortoise conservation or is it for those consultants and developers that whine the loudest. Yes, they even watered down the requirements for licensing tortoise experts.
The revised materials are due out sometime in the next week or so. Please stay tuned. We will have them on the web for people to download and comment on at the Commission meeting or email them your concerns. It may be time to take things to the legislature and governor.
Special 2008 April Session:
2008 Summer Workshop Scheduled:
IT IS FINALLY PUBLISHED!!!!
THE NATURAL HISTORY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE GOPHER TORTOISE GOPHERUS POLYPHEMUS (Daudin) 2008. Written by Ray and Pat Ashton. Published by Krieger Press.
You may order your book from ABRPI and support the fight for better conservation and research of the Gopher Tortoise.
Go to the BOOK ORDER page to order. Mail check or pay online through PayPal.
Or, you may purchase copies from the Krieger website, amazon.com or your local book dealer.
Excellent Book On Florida Turtles and Tortoise:
BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF FLORIDA TURTLES. Huge account on Gopher Tortoises with Dr. Henry Mushinsky as senior author. This is an excellent reference to the past 50 years of published research. It does not look forward to what has been or is in press, so much of the materail that fill gaps or defuse some dogmas will have to wait till next year. There was limited space after all. Other turtle accounts are great and bring things in most cases up to 2006. This is one of the best state works on Chelonians that has been done since the old masters. Hats off to all the contributors, editors and publisher.
IT IS TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2008
We need your support more than ever. We are traveling and talking with counties, landowers, and others to help develop a wise and successful conservation program throughout the state. Thanks for your continued support.
TORTOISE RELOCATION INFORMATION
Conservation Tax Exemption
Tortoise Conservation Issues
Research at the Institute
 The Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute, Inc. is a non-profit (501 3C) foundation created in 1999 to contribute to better understanding and management of biodiversity in Florida, the U.S. and world wide. Its work is currently focusing on turtle and gopher tortoise conservation.
The institute is involved in the development of techniques to establish self-sustaining semi-wild colonies for savannah dwelling endangered tortoises. The Indian star tortoise is the first species we are using for this program.
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 The Ashton Biodiversity Research and Preservation Institute has a well equipped laboratory with an incubation room where the tortoise eggs are incubated and juveniles are raised until they are placed in outdoor pens with natural vegetation. Screening is used to protect them from aerial predators. Data on movements, home range, microhabitat use and social behavior are maintained as well as growth records. |
GOPHER TORTOISE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
The Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative (GTCI) is a proactive program to encourage and support private citizens, landowners, organizations, corporations, scientists, and governmental agencies that are concerned about or are interested in gopher tortoise and upland wildlife conservation in the state of Florida and the Southeastern U.S.
For information about services, professional level training courses, the Gopher Tortoise Reserve Program and informational downloads, go to the GTCI page.
GTCI Activities
We are participating in the FWC stake holder's meetings.
We have been meeting on various issues such as the URTD testing and its conservation value.
We are working with Nokuse Plantation to develop 11,000 acres of tortoise relocation lands in Walton County.
GTCI is working on developing the first agreement between FWC and a county to manage gopher tortoise conservation.
GTCI is meeting with officials to insure that policies are set to protect tortoioses and all the other protected species and habitats in the 18,000 acres of development on Orange County's Innovation Way project.
We have been working in South Carolina working with the Department of Natural Resources to develop the state’s Gopher Tortoise Assurance Colony Program.
A message from Ray Ashton
 TORTOISE CONSERVATION TEE SHIRTS FOR SALE
"NO TORTOISE LEFT BEHIND" Tee shirts were drawn up by world famous artist David Dennis to help us raise funds to keep up the battle to get REAL TORTOISE CONSERVATION in place.
We now have kid sizes available in the No Tortoise Left Behind shirt!! Click here to read more.
REPTILE TEES FOR SALE
Click here to see our new reptile shirts! This is a new way to help Ashton BRPI raise funds for gopher tortoise conservation.
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Looking for a great gift?
Order Gopher Tortoise book, click here.
BOOK CHALLENGE SUCCESS
MC Davis provided a $15,000 challenge grant to GTCI to raise matching funds to send copies of the Gopher Tortoise, A Life History to schools throughout Florida. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL! |
Now you can make donations to Ashton Biodiversity through Paypal. Click here:
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BECOME A MEMBER
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE
Intern Opportunity: Focus on Science/Conservation Education
Intern Opportunity: Internship available leading to possible position.
Click here to read more.
14260 W. Newberry Rd. # 331
Newberry, FL 32669
Phone: 352-495-7449
Fax: 352-495-7433
E-mail: Tortfarm2@aol.com |
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