All Aboard! Florida Potential impacts to gopher tortoises

Rachel King, Alex Kalfin

Species Conservation Planning Section

Gopher tortoise

(Gopherus polyphemus)

Only land tortoise east

of Mississippi River

Inhabits sandhill, xeric

hammock, pine flatwoods,

scrub, dry prairie, coastal

dunes, mixed hardwood

pine, pastures, and

disturbed areas

A keystone species

Excavates burrows averaging 15 ft long x 6.5 ft deep

Burrows provide refuge for over 350 other species (commensals)

Loss of the gopher tortoise would result in a dramatic ecological shift

Species status

State listed as threatened

Candidate for listing under

the Endangered Species

Act

September 2012 – FWC approved the revised

management plan

–Conservation goal is to restore and maintain secure,

viable populations throughout Florida so that the

species no longer warrants listing

Conservation objectives

Minimize the loss of tortoises

Increase and improve habitat

Enhance and restore gopher

tortoise populations where they

are depleted

Maintain the gopher tortoise’s

function as a keystone species

Gopher tortoise permitting

Permitting Guidelines approved

April 2008 (revised Feb. 2015)

Includes multiple permit types to

accommodate various projects

–Conservation permit

–Recipient site permit

–Permits for public projects adjacent

to public lands

Conservation permit

Types of projects

–Those with more than 10 burrows

–Phased developments which obtained a 10 or fewer

burrows permit on a previous phase

Relocation of tortoises on-site or off-site to a

permitted recipient site

–Private or public recipient sites

All relocation activities completed

by an authorized agent

Conservation permit mitigation

contributions

Relocated to long-term protected or public

conservation lands recipient sites

–$207 for first 10 burrows (up to 5 tortoises)

–$310 for each additional tortoise

Relocated to short-term protected recipient sites

–$207 for first 10 burrows (up to 5 tortoises)

–$3,098 for each additional tortoise

Relocation to unprotected recipient

sites

–$3,098 for each tortoise

Long-term recipient sites

Perpetual conservation easements

Habitat management plans

Financial assurances

Monitoring

Or Public Conservation Lands

All Aboard! Florida

240 mile high speed train

Existing tracks, however:

–Repair

–Expand

–Curve reduction

–Fiber optic cable

New track to connect to

Orlando International Airport

Potential impacts

Several public conservation

lands with large, stable gopher

tortoise populations

–Tosohatchee Wildlife

Management Area (Orange)

–Savannas Preserve State Park

(St. Lucie)

–Seabranch Preserve State

Park (Martin)

–Jonathan Dickinson State Park

(Martin)

Other potential impacts

GIS/photo credit Alex Kalfin

Other potential impacts

GIS/photo credit Alex Kalfin

Other potential impacts

GIS/photo credit Alex Kalfin

Potential long-term impacts

Impacts of railroads on gopher tortoises not well

known

Note in Herpetological Review in 2007

–Dead tortoise observed between tracks in

Savannas Preserve State Park

–Entrapment, Overheating

Current research looking at barriers for managed

retreat of wildlife as a result of sea

level rise

Project status

Phased project

One permit issued for Orlando International Airport

No gopher tortoise permit or surveys received by

FWC

–Bids for authorized gopher tortoise agents now

–All tortoises are required to be relocated prior to

any site work or soil disturbance related to the

project

Questions?

Rachel King: South Region and Brevard, Indian

River, Orange and Osceola

561-882-5714

http://MyFWC.com/GopherTortoise