FWC refines gopher tortoise permitting process
News Release
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Media contact: Deborah Burr, 850-410-0656, ext. 17332
(Back to Commission meeting
news)
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) approved revisions to its gopher tortoise
permitting guidelines on Wednesday during its meeting in Lake
Mary.
The FWC approved a management plan for gopher
tortoises in September 2007, providing conservation measures to
ensure gopher tortoises thrive in Florida. The plan also calls for
permitting guidelines to ensure Florida meets the tortoise's
habitat needs now and in the future. The guidelines, initially
approved in 2008, are revised annually as the FWC learns more from
interactions with stakeholders and implementation of the permitting
process.
The current revisions came after meetings with
stakeholders during the past year. The input received was
incorporated into the revisions approved by the Commission.
The revisions to the permitting guidelines are
designed to achieve the conservation objectives for the management
plan. One objective addresses decreasing gopher tortoise deaths on
lands proposed for development through responsible relocation.
Another objective calls for relocating gopher tortoises to where
they no longer occur or where densities are low.
The revised guidelines clarify mitigation
contributions and the 25-foot-avoidance guidelines to prevent
habitat islands around burrows. More explicit instructions for
permitting and mitigation requirements for juveniles also are a
part of the revision. In addition, new guidelines were set for
recipient sites used for research and for restocking requirements
for public conservation lands.
Mitigation contributions will now be evaluated
annually in conjunction with the Consumer Price Index. Proposed
revisions for relocating gopher tortoises to public lands were
postponed for consideration until further discussions occur with
interested parties.
"The gopher tortoise is listed as threatened in
Florida, and these revisions to the permitting guidelines will help
us achieve gopher tortoise conservation," said Deborah Burr, Gopher
Tortoise Management Plan coordinator. "The permitting process
continues to be refined, and we'll continue to review the
guidelines on an annual basis to be sure we are providing the
highest standards for managing the gopher tortoise into
perpetuity."
For more information about the management plan go
to MyFWC.com/GopherTortoise.
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