Keep reading for the latest news and announcements from the Gopher Tortoise Council, including:
- Become a GTC member
- Gopher tortoise license plate available now!
- Supporting stellar student research
- Action updates from GTC's Conservation Committee
Support GTC by Becoming a Member or Renewing Your Annual Membership
With Gopher Tortoise Day behind us, celebrate gopher tortoises all year long and consider joining the Gopher Tortoise Council by purchasing a membership or renewing your annual membership. Membership revenue helps to fund gopher tortoise conservation programs and provide grants for graduate student research and educational programs across the southeast.
Benefits include a subscription to the Gopher Tortoise Council's newsletter, "The Tortoise Burrow."
The Gopher Tortoise Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and tax-exempt organization (ID #59-2010727) and all contributions are tax deductible.
Membership Options:
$15 Student Membership
$25 Regular Membership
$40 Contributor Membership
$50 Society/Corporate Membership
$75 Sustaining Membership
$300 Lifetime Membership
Please visit our website (https://gophertortoisecouncil.org/support) for more information.
Congratulations to this year's recipients of J. Larry Landers Student Research Grants!
Eva Kerr (Master's student, U. Georgia) - Metapopulation dynamics of Gopher Frogs (Rana capito) in Georgia
Elijah McEuen (Master's student, U. South Florida) - Tortoises along Florida’s roads: pushed from unsuitable habitats or spillover from source populations?
Each student has received a $3,000 grant to implement their project.
Including these grants, GTC has awarded nearly $25,000 to deserving student researchers through this program over the last 5 years.
Ride in style and support conservation with the new Protect the Gopher Tortoise License Plate!
Hooray! 🐢📣 The time has finally come! Protect the Gopher Tortoise license plates are now available at tax collectors’ offices and tag agencies throughout Florida. We recommend calling your tax collector’s office or tag agency in advance of visiting in person to ensure that they have plates in stock.
Please read through the Frequently Asked Questions about the plate to learn how you can redeem your voucher and receive your plate!
In order to bring awareness to the plight of the gopher tortoise, Wildlands Conservation has created this specialty license plate and will use the generated funds for gopher tortoise habitat conservation, habitat management, education, and research. With your help, we can help protect gopher tortoises and their upland habitat! If you hold a valid Florida Driver’s License or have a Florida-registered vehicle, you are eligible to purchase vouchers for your car, truck, trailer, and RV! Plates can be purchased at any time–you do not need to wait until your registration renewal date to order one.
GTC Supports Florida's State Park Preservation Act
GTC joined a coalition of conservation organizations in Florida to support legislation that has since been passed into law as the State Park Protection Act. Read more about this legislation in this joint letter led by Sierra Club Florida.