Collier County Resource Recovery Park Gopher Tortoise Relocation

ETE recently conducted a multi-day gopher tortoise excavation at the Collier County Resource Recovery Park, where 75 burrows were excavated and 10 individuals were collected and relocated to their new homes. Gopher Tortoise Agents Auston Germano and Jeremy Sterk spearheaded the large-scale endeavor, with assistance of recently certified agent, Andrew McAuley.

This mass operation has been months in the planning, including surveying over 60 acres of forest, finding a recipient site for the tortoises, and finding the most efficient way of transporting nearly a dozen tortoises over a long distance. In order to excavate the tortoises safely, they used a combination of mechanical and manual work.

The recipient site is at a research area within the Apalachicola National Forest in northern Florida. Normally there is 100 mile radius from the original excavations that relocated tortoises can go, but in special cases such as this one research areas can receive tortoises from an unlimited range. Two ETE ecologists drove up to Gainesville to meet the recipients halfway to deliver the tortoises.

Gopher tortoises are an important keystone species in Florida – their burrows provide shelter to over 350 other species. They are classified as a threatened species and are protected under Florida law. If you have gopher tortoises on your property and are looking to develop, you will need to obtain a permit before you begin clearing. Give us a call and one of our gopher tortoise agents can help navigate you through this process!