The Georgia Gopher Tortoise Initiative
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering protecting gopher tortoises in Georgia under the Endangered Species Act. Gopher tortoises are already protected by the state of Georgia, but the federal Endangered Species Act is more stringent than the state law. A federal listing can be bad for business, since protected species can mean red tape and additional costs.
In Georgia, instead of fighting the potential listing, businesses are working with wildlife agencies on what�s called the Georgia Gopher Tortoise Initiative, to save the gopher tortoise � before they�re forced to by federal regulation.
The Gopher Tortoise Initiative is working to address that, by finding healthy gopher tortoise populations � whether they�re on public land or private property � and protecting them where they are. Voluntarily, without federal regulation.
�We�re glad to have them here,� says Georgia Power wildlife biologist Jim Ozier, standing under the high-voltage transmission lines running from Plant Hatch. �Gopher tortoises do very well right next door.�
Ozier says in addition to planning around the tortoises, to make sure they�re not affected by transmission line maintenance, Georgia Power plans to bring fire back to the woods next to the power lines, in the form of controlled burns, to restore the longleaf pine savannah that would have grown here naturally.
�It is a slow process, and I�ll never see the end results of it, but feel good knowing it�s heading in that direction,� he says.
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TSA announces the 2018 Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles
Save the Date! The TSA has announced that the 16th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles will be held “Where the West Begins” – Fort Worth, Texas, August 12 – 15, 2018. Events will commence with an ice-breaker held at the conference hotel, the Hilton Fort Worth, Sunday, August 12th, and conclude with a banquet at the Fort Worth Zoo’s African Savanna, Wednesday, August 15th. Until then, stay tuned for more conference announcements on their Conference Page.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
Canada:- Halt Shorelines casino Peterborough to protect turtles
USA:- Fewer sea turtle hatchlings being cared for at Texas lab
Ecology
Australia:- Trees to help turtles
USA:- Satellite tracking provides clues about South Atlantic sea turtles’ ‘lost years’
Health & Medical
USA:- Green sea turtle found stranded at mouth of Columbia River dies
USA:- Turtle Team vets (Video)
Miscellany
Japan:- 12 turtles get year-end scrub down in Japan (Video)
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Photo from Molly Samuel/WABE.
