Click HERE for the latest news and announcements from the Gopher Tortoise Council, including:

• Letter from the Co-Chair
• GTC Announcements, including plans to host the 48th Annual Meeting from Nov 6–8, 2026, at Gulf State Park Lodge in Gulf Shores, AL. Keep an eye on our website for more details in the coming months!
• Keeping the Florida Waif Safe
• A Sandhill Dragon
• J. Larry Landers Student Research Spotlight: Eva Kerr
• Advancing Gopher Tortoise Conservation at Gulf State Park
• Recent Research: 
  • Craft, M., G.L. Heinrich, J. Goessling, M. Dallas, D. Cassill, and J.S. Doody. 2026. Nesting in bushes and burrows: potential climate responses in the gopher tortoise. Animal Behavior https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123522
    
  • Ruppert, K.M., K.A.J. Altabet, and S.A. Rush. 2026. Post-breeding movements, refugia associations, and road use of migrating gopher frogs (Lithobates capito) in South Alabama. Ichthyology & Herpetology https://doi.org/10.1643/h2024090 
  • Shepherd, R.M., E.M.S. Gendron, P.G. Hahn, M.A. Lashley, and D.L. Porazinska. 2026. Gopher tortoise influence on soil biodiversity is constrained by historical land use. Biodiversity and Conservation https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-026-03266-3
    
  • Stevenson, D.J., J.D. Mays, S. Collins, and M. Thomas. 2026. The distribution and natural history of the gopher tortoise robber fly (Machimus polyphemi Bullington and Beck) (Diptera: Asilidae). Insecta Mundi https://doi.org/10.64338/im.1173.kpxsc