ORLANDO, Fla. — Monday is Gopher Tortoise Day. To celebrate, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials are encouraging Floridians to help with conservation efforts for the threatened ...

A new specialty plate supporting Florida’s gopher tortoise is now available for purchase, and it is for a good cause. Wildlands Conservation unveiled the design of the gopher tortoise license plate, ...

When Samantha S. and her family bought just over 2 acres in Middleburg, FL, in September 2021, they thought they’d found the perfect place to put down roots. The wooded lot, just minutes from Jennings ...

Once fully trained, Echo will be the first dog in the United States that sniffs out gopher tortoises, according to Jones and Kristine Hoffmann, a wildlife biologist and conservation dog handler from ...

Two gopher tortoises were spray painted with bright colors in Naples, Florida, causing a local conservancy to rush to their aid Conservancy of Southwest Florida An act of vandalism could have a ...

TCPalm environment reporter Timothy O'Hara heard about a proposed Indian River County housing development that could wipe out an unprecedented number of gopher tortoise burrows. Beyond compiling ...

Slow and steady wins the race, but unhurried preservation measures could lead to the Florida gopher tortoises’ demise. “They are these incredible ecosystem engineers,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and ...

Gopher tortoises imperiled by loss of habitat largely caused by human development should be placed on the endangered species list in four southern states, environmental groups said Wednesday as they ...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Though gopher tortoises have persisted for millions of years, they now face a barrage of threats from loss of habitat and developers with permits that allow the reptiles to be buried ...

Government agencies agree the gopher tortoise is in trouble. The lumbering grazers get squeezed by development, hit by cars, killed by disease and preyed on by invasive species like fire ants, which ...

“It was just peaceful and quiet. We loved the area. My aunt actually lives right next door,” she says. “And it would be within the same school district that our kids are in now.” The plan was simple: ...