Volume 44, Number 2
Eric Sievers (GTC Senior Co-Chair)
Dear burrowers,
The annual meeting is almost upon us! As cooler temperatures are on the horizon, I look forward to seeing you all soon. The meeting is being held at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, from November 15–17, and early-bird registration is now open and abstracts are being accepted.
We’ll have two full days of presentations, a Friday night social at the Boyd Hill Nature Center, a Saturday awards banquet at Tampa Bay Watch, and two field trip options: one at Boyd Hill and another out to Egmont Key. This year there will be a special session on the disease ecology of gopher tortoises and their commensals, as well as an increase in the number and amount of student travel grants.
This year’s meeting logo was created by the extremely talented Kelly Quinn of https://kellyofthewild.com/. T-shirt information to come shortly.
Additional annual meeting details, such as abstract submission instructions, lodging options, and sponsorship information can be found at https://gophertortoisecouncil.org/annual-meeting.
In addition to annual meeting planning, our conservation committee has been hard at work on issues like the plan to develop Florida State Parks into pickleball courts and golf courses, as well as a recently proposed Withlacoochee State Forest land swap with a golf course. We are working hard to protect tortoises and their habitat!
See you all soon!
Keep reading for the latest news and announcements from the Gopher Tortoise Council, including:
- Call for nominations for 2024 GTC Service Awards
- Become a GTC member!
- Reserve your Gopher Tortoise License Plate
- Upcoming meetings of interest to GTC members
The 46th Annual Gopher Tortoise Council Meeting will be held in St. Petersburg, FL from November 15-17, 2024. Keep reading for more details about the meeting and how to register.
Peter Kleinhenz (Executive Director, Aiken Land Conservancy)
In South Carolina, gopher tortoises are about as scarce as a non-sweltering day in July. Only a few populations remain and, for that reason, opportunities to protect known habitat for them in the state don’t come around very often. However, such an opportunity arose late last year.
Dirk Stevenson (Altamaha Environmental Consulting)
Just in time for spooky season, join Dirk Stevenson on the hunt for rare and endemic millipedes in the southeast!
GTC's Upland Snake Conservation Initiative has produced its newest fact sheet on the gopher frog (Lithobates capito).
Some recently published articles about gopher tortoises, their commensals, and upland communities in the southeast. Check out GTC's Education & Outreach page for more literature, including snake and tortoise bibliographies.