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HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE GOPHER TORTOISE
GTCI can give you some directions and will keep you updated 
The Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative was formed to encourage private citizens and landowners to get involved with gopher tortoise and upland conservation. It is the conservation and education arm of Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute. We have been working with literally thousands of individuals, land managers and government officials to work toward effective conservation programs. If one talks with County Planners and Environmental offices, they will tell you that the growth rate in Florida and many other areas within the range of the gopher tortoise is exploding at a rate that will eliminate nearly all large tracts of land in the upland areas within the next 20 years.
In the past 20 years, attempts by the FWC have done little to curb the demise of gopher tortoises, indigo snakes and many other listed species. There are a number of reasons for this that hopefully will be addressed by a new Gopher Tortoise Management Plan and subsequent regulations. However, it is important for the general public understand the current situation and how to help make things work for effective conservation.
Listing Process
The listing process has been changed in Florida in a way that simply does not work. It uses models to determine acceptable losses, evaluate current conditions (thus species ranking), and does not get at many aspects of current impacts like a growth rate greater than any developing country in the world. OBTAIN A COPY OF THESE FROM FWC and comment that this process needs to be changed (see downloadable letter outline).
Gopher Tortoise Management Plan
This is our last best hope to conserve viable populations of gopher tortoises. If this document follows format required by the current listing process, it will be a total failure. Second, the plan must get away from the dogmas of the past and use new and current data on which to base management planning. It must also recognize the need for local governments to take active roles in resource conservation and protection. It should allow individuals and landowners to be involved in a responsible hands-on way in their own communities and subdivisions. This is important for long-term support for the overall conservation program. It should address the great short comings in FWC enforcement of protected species, especially gopher tortoises. And it must require people who are involved in managing tortoises to have proper training and experience. It needs to simplify and clarify the rules and make the “guidelines” act as just what they are – “guidelines” not rules.
Education and Proper Citizen Involvement
Contrary to popular beliefs, GTCI has received absolutely no funding from FWC or FWS for producing materials, professional training or other workshops and materials. FWC needs to either finance or take on the role of tortoise conservation education in the state. Basic information is nearly impossible to obtain from the agency outside of getting “rules and guidelines”. FWC needs to provide proper training for consultants and others who are the ones who are providing data on which management and permitting is being done. It should also train its personnel working with tortoise issues, especially law enforcement.
How can you make a difference?
- Many small property developers do not realize that they need to have a permit before destroying tortoises on a development site. Some, more dishonest larger developers have taken the tact that “I won’t get a permit unless someone complains”. Many have the attitude “ The odds are great that I won’t get caught so I can save thousands of dollars. If I get caught, at most, all I will have to do is pay mitigation costs.”
What should you do? Call the local FWC office (check phone book under state agencies) and find out if the developer has a permit. The sooner you do this the better.
- What if I see people bulldozing burrows or killing tortoises?
What should you do? Get time/date documented photos or movies. Call the 800 number for FWC or the local office ASAP. Note, over the past two years, we have found that FWC enforcement does not respond more than 50% of the time and may arrive so late (often days) that the damage has been done. Half of the enforcement officers either do not know what to charge the people with or decide to do nothing (they may not even write a warning). If this happens, get the name of the officer, document the situation and write the executive director of FWC, the governor, and your state legislators. Do not trespass on private property. Review protected species reports or Environmental Assessments done on the project and make sure they appear to be correct. If they do not appear to be correct have someone review them and file a protest with FWC and any other permitting agencies including the County or Municipality.
- I live in a community that is being built out and many properties have tortoises and other protected species on them.
What should you do? Get the community involved. Look at documents that created the Home Owner’s Association to see if there are any obligations that the community has to maintain habitats or reserves. Get the community to support conservation and get a plan together to protect the tortoises. Hopefully FWC will establish some better methods of working with homeowners and residents in these situations in the near future. Contact the FWC and GTCI to see if there are ways to work local conservation efforts (See Community Tortoise Stewardship Volunteers - coming soon).
- My county has a conservation lands program and we want the county to take some responsibility for our tortoises and other natural resources.
What should you do? It is important to work with county staff, local conservation organizations and come up with proper planning. First, it is important that your county can establish local rules pertaining to habitat and protected species conservation as long as it is a “stronger” rule that that set by the agencies and meets other legal requirements. We suggest that you or have the county staff or the head of a planning committee contact GTCI for some guidance and suggestions.
Some other simple things you can do
If you have gopher tortoises living on your property or on properties around your home, protect them from dogs and cats, from people who would harm them. Respect the tortoises and leave them alone when they are out foraging. (Download Tortoise In your Yard)
If you have land that supports gopher tortoises, keep their needs for open space and food in mind. Learn more about how agriculture, hunting, and tortoise conservation can all work together. (Go to the GTCI Tortoise Reserve page and get download information.)
Encourage state and county governments to set aside conservation lands and to be sure that these are managed properly. Visit state forests and Florida Forever Programs to see if they are managing for open forests or are planting tree farms in their place.
Keep pet tortoises and gopher tortoises separated. They may get some foreign disease that will kill them and spread to others in the wild.
If you see a tortoise on the road, only move it out of harm’s way. Do not move it to another area. It likely has a burrow nearby. Don’t release tortoises you find on the road in any of your local or state parks – this can spread disease and hurt many tortoises.
If you believe someone is going to destroy tortoises or their burrows, contact the local game authorities to see if they have a permit. |
Results of a Good Trap Set |
Contacts for writing letters or getting more information
We have provided web page addresses because there you can get information and the proper contact information for staff and other officials and regulations an updates on status.
FLORIDA CONTACTS
Thomas H. Eason, Chief
Bureau of Wildlife Diversity Conservation
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, Fl. 32399-1600
FWC COMMISSIONERS
Correspondence may be sent in care of:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
Website: http://myfwc.com/
Email: Commissioners@fwc.state.fl.us
Chairman
Rodney Barreto
Miami
Vice Chairman
H.A. Huffman
Deltona
Brian S. Yablonski
Tallahassee
David K. Meehan
St. Petersburg
Sandra T. Kaupe
Palm Beach
John D. Rood
Jacksonville
Richard A. Corbett
Tampa |
FWC EXECUTIVE STAFF
Correspondence may be sent in care of:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
Website: http://myfwc.com/
Executive Director
Ken Haddad
E-Mail: k.haddad@fwc.state.fl.us
Phone: (850) 487-3796
Assistant Executive Director
Victor J. Heller
Phone: (850) 487-3796
Deputy Chief of Staff
Darlyn Stockfisch
Phone: (850) 487-3796 |
Forever Florida and State Mitigation Land Management
Our state conservation lands are being managed by a wide variety of agencies but mostly the Department of Forestry. This agency has not been producing management plans or practices to enhance biodiversity but is systematically turning many of these lands (including FFWCC gopher tortoise Mitigation lands) into pine plantations with a density of 600 trees per acre. Please write the director and to the governor as well as the FFWCC about this issue.
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Sample Letters
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