Registration is now open, and we are accepting abstracts for oral and poster presentations

for the 45th Annual Gopher Tortoise Council Meeting.

 

Meeting Location: This year’s meeting will be held at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia from November 17-19th, 2023. Agenda Coming Soon!

Agenda:  Click HERE to view the complete meeting agenda. 

Registration: 

Registration costs include attendance at two days of presentations, on-site refreshment breaks, and Friday night social dinner at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture (dinner with vegan option available) + beer/wine and optional field trip on Sunday. 

 Lunch will be “on your own” and is not included in registration costs.

 

Lodging: Blocks of rooms have been reserved at La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Tifton and Holiday Inn Express: Tifton

Our room blocks for this event will likely fill up quickly, so reserve your room early! If reserving by phone (La Quinta 229-586-8025, Holiday Inn 229-382-3300) please notify the agent that you are with the Gopher-Tortoise Council Annual Meeting to receive our rate and be counted in the block. We obtained a reduced room rate of $119 per night (plus taxes and fees). Parking is available at the Hotel for no additional cost.

The conference venue is approximately three miles north of the hotels. 

 

Call for Abstracts: The deadline for submitting abstracts extended to November 3, 2023. 

In addition to presentations about gopher tortoise biology, we welcome presentations on:

  • commensals and other species associated with tortoises and southeastern upland habitats
  • general ecology of upland pine ecosystems
  • habitat management and restoration
  • conservation initiatives
  • policy, regulation, or economics
  • monitoring and field techniques
  • Successful and creative partnerships conserving Gopher Tortoises, habitat, or associated species

 Click HERE for more information on abstract requirements.

 Bob Herrington Student Travel Grants: 

All student presenters who are traveling > 60 miles to attend the meeting are eligible to apply for a travel grant. Indicate in your abstract submission email that you would like to be considered for the Bob Herrington Student Travel Grant and provide your location and university affiliation. Recipients will be selected randomly from among those who submit applications by the deadline for abstract submission. Winners will be notified before the meeting and awards will be presented at the meeting. See here for more details: https://gophertortoisecouncil.org/grant-programs/32-bob-herrington-student-travel-grant

Silent Action:

Our silent auction at the Annual Meeting supports GTC Donna J. Heinrich Environmental Education Grants! Please consider donating silent auction items at the meeting to raise money for Environmental Education!!

Conference T-shirts:

We continue to use Custom Ink as our online vendor to offer a selection of customized t-shirts. The vendor will ship directly to purchasers prior to the meeting and donate all proceeds to GTC. Click HERE to order!

For more information contact Matt Elliot, GTC Senior Co-chair and host for this year’s meeting (404-291-8156; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Hope to see you all in November!