Save the Date for the 48th Annual Meeting of the Gopher Tortoise Council
GTC's 48th annual meeting brings us back to Alabama's Gulf State Park Lodge, 21196 East Beach Blvd., Gulf Shores, AL 36542. The meeting will be held November 6–8, 2026. Keep an eye on our website for details on registration and a call for abstracts in the coming months. We look forward to seeing you there!
A draft agenda can be found here to facilitate travel requests.
Lodging
Hotel Block: The Lodge at Gulf State Park, a Hilton Hotel
Room block reservation link available through October 6
Reservations can also be made via phone at 1-800-618-4350. Mention the group name, Gopher Tortoise Council, or code 91B.
Check out the 2026 Spring Edition of the GTC Newsletter
Click HERE for the latest news and announcements from the Gopher Tortoise Council, including:
- Letter from the Co-Chair
- GTC Announcements, including plans to host the 48th Annual Meeting from Nov 6–8, 2026, at Gulf State Park Lodge in Gulf Shores, AL. Keep an eye on our website for more details in the coming months!
- Keeping the Florida Waif Safe
- A Sandhill Dragon
- J. Larry Landers Student Research Spotlight: Eva Kerr
- Advancing Gopher Tortoise Conservation at Gulf State Park
- Recent Research:
- Craft, M., G.L. Heinrich, J. Goessling, M. Dallas, D. Cassill, and J.S. Doody. 2026. Nesting in bushes and burrows: potential climate responses in the gopher tortoise. Animal Behavior https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123522
- Ruppert, K.M., K.A.J. Altabet, and S.A. Rush. 2026. Post-breeding movements, refugia associations, and road use of migrating gopher frogs (Lithobates capito) in South Alabama. Ichthyology & Herpetology https://doi.org/10.1643/h2024090
- Shepherd, R.M., E.M.S. Gendron, P.G. Hahn, M.A. Lashley, and D.L. Porazinska. 2026. Gopher tortoise influence on soil biodiversity is constrained by historical land use. Biodiversity and Conservation https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-026-03266-3
- Stevenson, D.J., J.D. Mays, S. Collins, and M. Thomas. 2026. The distribution and natural history of the gopher tortoise robber fly (Machimus polyphemi Bullington and Beck) (Diptera: Asilidae). Insecta Mundi https://doi.org/10.64338/im.1173.kpxsc
- Craft, M., G.L. Heinrich, J. Goessling, M. Dallas, D. Cassill, and J.S. Doody. 2026. Nesting in bushes and burrows: potential climate responses in the gopher tortoise. Animal Behavior https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123522