Gopher tortoise entombment policy reversed

Finally! The last day of this month is the last day the state will allow developers to submit permits for the "incidental take" (aka death) of gopher tortoises when building on and paving over gopher tortoise burrows, according to this Sun Herald article. Many people have been concerned about such permits since the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission started offering them in 1991. Now, the FWC will require the tortoises to be relocated so they aren't buried alive in their burrows.

The article points out that tortoises' burrows are used by other wildlife species, however -- but stopping tortoise entombment is a start.

Toll agency to rethink treatment of gopher tortoises

The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority decided Friday to delay some construction of a major road south of Apopka where hundreds of gopher tortoises already may have been entombed or crushed by heavy equipment - April 7, Orlando Sentinel

Gopher tortoises buried alive during road construction

The U.S. Humane Society said Thursday that gopher tortoises are being buried alive during the construction of a new interchange in Central Florida; the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority has authorized construction of the new Maitland interchange on the west side of Orange County, but U.S. Humane Society officials said that helpless tortoises hiding in underground burrows up to 40-feet deep are being entombed by concrete in the process - April 5, Local6.com

Hurdle looms in protection of state's gopher tortoises

The dispute centers on whether the burial program should be ended when the new plan is enacted, which is expected to happen in June, or there should be a transition period - Jan. 26, Gainesville Sun

Group hoping to abolish rule that lets developers kill tortoises

Permits that allow developers to legally kill tortoises on land slated for homes or businesses may no longer be sold to developers if a special organization gets its way - Jan. 25, High Springs Herald

Steady movement in tortoise protection

The Citrus County development director wants county commissioners either to establish county-owned land preserves for displaced tortoises or use established "gopher camps," where the county would pay private landowners for relocation - Dec. 12, St. Petersburg Times

State's bid to save gopher tortoises involves Alachua County preserves

A controversial state program accelerated the loss of gopher tortoises by allowing developers to bury the reptiles alive, but two Alachua County preserves and a new state management plan could help reverse the species' decline - Dec. 4, Gainesville Sun

Gopher tortoises slaughtered

An Ocala city worker found two bags of about 20 cleaned-out tortoise shells Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area in the city - Dec. 1, AP