Every year on April 10th, Gopher Tortoise Day is celebrated across the species' range by GTC members and other groups looking to highlight the importance of this keystone species. This year, we asked members to share photos and stories from their Gopher Tortoise Day shell-ebrations. Keep reading to see some of this year's festivities, and to get some inspiration for Gopher Tortoise Day next year!
We are sending along pictures from our Science through Art - Gopher Tortoise Day classes on April 10th. Artist and Science Through Art Teacher, Ms. Lindsey Wuest, created a fun filled activity to celebrate Gopher Tortoise day with students in grades K-5. The students remembered celebrating Gopher Tortoise Day last year and were recalling facts and information from previous lessons! Students created their own gopher tortoise as they learned about gopher tortoise anatomy. They also watched two short gopher tortoise documentaries to showcase the importance of the species and their unique abilities.
Our school is located at Florida Atlantic University, and our campus has a number of gopher tortoises throughout its grassy and scrub habitat. We work with researchers and local non-profit's like the S. Florida Conservation Network and their Gopher Tortoise Working Group to help protect these incredible animals!
Katie Hendrickson, Florida Atlantic University Lab Schools; Photos by Lindsay Wuest
3 classes of kindergarten students from Alabama’s Flomaton Elementary School visited Turtle Point Science Center on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Students celebrated Gopher Tortoise Day with a lesson about gopher tortoises. They enjoyed a coloring sheet about shells from the Alabama Gopher Tortoise Day resources page on the Outdoor Alabama website. A hands-on encounter with a young gopher tortoise brought lots of smiles.
Sierra Stiles, Turtle Point Science Center
Legacy kicked off the first event of their Earth Month Mingle series in honor of Gopher Tortoise Day. Teachers earned Professional Development credit for joining this online session with invited speaker, Ericha Nix from the non-game wildlife division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Ericha shared the story of gopher tortoise ecology and conservation. She provided lots of resources for teachers to use in their own classrooms to teach students about gopher tortoises.
Sierra Stiles, Turtle Point Science Center
Femus the Gopher Tortoise visited his relative at Disney's Animal Kingdom for Gopher Tortoise Day 2024! His mission is to spread awareness of the plight of the Gopher Tortoise through education and entertainment. Follow Femus on instagram @Femus_TheGopherTortoise
Geoffrey Cormier, Flagler Beach Puppet Theater
Gopher tortoise in action at Flagler Beach, submitted by Tom Landon
Happy Gopher Tortoise Day! I have attached my picture from my Gopher Tortoise Registered Agent class in Naples in Feb, passed and waiting for FWC to approve application! Nothing better than knowing I am helping save this amazing animal!
Jim Hartnett, GTC member