2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GOPHER TORTOISE COUNCIL

Registration is now open, and we are accepting abstracts for oral and poster presentations for the 44^th Annual Gopher Tortoise Council Meeting.

The meeting is to be held at The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center at Nokuse Plantation in Freeport, Florida from November 11-13th, 2022.

Agenda and Meeting Abstracts

Early-bird registration discounts are available until October 21st. 

Registration options are as follows:

Registration costs include attendance at two days of presentations, on-site refreshment breaks, and Friday night dinner at North Beach Social (dinner with vegan option available) + beer/wine (2 drink tickets).

Lunch is not included in registration costs. However, you can choose to pay an additional $10 each day for lunch at the venue.

• Regular (after Oct. 21):
• Student $60 (includes membership)
• Professional Current GTC Member $75.00 (no membership dues)
• Professional Current GTC Member $100.00 (includes $25.00 membership dues)
• Professional GTC Non-member $125.00 (no membership dues)
• Professional GTC Non-member $150.00 (includes $25.00 membership dues)
• Virtual $40 (live stream of talks only; no membership dues)
• Saturday, November 12th Awards Dinner $20.00 each. Don’t forget to purchase an extra ticket if you are bringing a guest – includes dinner and beer/wine
• Sunday, November 13th optional Field Trip to Nokuse (spots will be limited)

Call for Abstracts

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

Instructions for Submitting Abstracts (Oral Presentations and Posters):

The deadline for submitting abstracts has been extended to October 28, 2022. Abstracts should be 300 words or less and conform to the general style of Journal of Wildlife Management abstract format (see sample abstract below). The name, affiliation, address, and email of the corresponding author should be provided with the abstract. Please indicate if you wish to present an oral or poster presentation. Student presentation awards are given for the top three student oral presentations at the annual meeting. Please indicate clearly in your abstract if you are an undergraduate or graduate student so that you can be considered for this award. Abstracts must be submitted in MS Word. Please submit abstracts via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Full-length presentations will be strictly limited to 15 minutes, including 3 minutes for questions. Speed talks will be limited to 5 minutes, including questions. An LCD projector will be provided. Overheads and 35 mm slides are not acceptable. Posters should be no larger than 48” x 36.”

Bob Herrington Student Travel Grant

This award provides financial assistance to students wishing to present their research at the Annual Gopher Tortoise Council meeting and is funded through GTC membership fees. Students must reside greater than 60 miles from the meeting venue to qualify. To apply, please indicate in your abstract submission email that you would like to be considered for the Bob Herrington Student Travel Grant. Please note your location and university affiliation. More information can be found here. 

Sample Abstract

The Effects of Fish Size on Net Energy Intake of Snowy Egrets

Toobee R. Estord¹ and Mork Ritters²

¹Everglades Division, South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406

²Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 3200 T. M. Goodwin Road, Fellsmere, FL 32948

Draining wetlands reduces their hydroperiod and causes a shift in the size structure of the fish community toward smaller and younger fish. Reduced fish size could potentially impact snowy egrets (Egretta thula) if it reduced their net energy intake. We tested the hypothesis........... MAXIMUM 300 WORDS.

Hotel Information

There are several lodging options available for the GTC meeting - we have a block set up at two hotels in Sandestin (~30 min from the meeting venue, ~15 min from the Friday night social venue): 

1. Courtyard Sandestin at Grand Boulevard for $109/night
2. Residence Inn Sandestin at Grand Boulevard for $109/night

View Past Meetings