On a Mission: Cape Coral Wildlife Trust finding homes for gopher tortoises, burrowing owls

Two of Cape Coral’s best-known residents, the gopher tortoise and the burrowing owl, will soon be living in protected lots all over the city. The two animals are officially designated as threatened wildlife species and living in one of the fastest-growing cities in Lee Country means that extra steps are needed to preserve their habitat.

That’s where the Cape Coral Wildlife Trust comes in. An off-shoot of the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, the new nonprofit was created to acquire land where the tortoises and the owls live.

The mission of the Cape Coral Wildlife Trust is simple, said board member Cheryl Anderson.

“We want to acquire land or specific lots in Cape Coral that are occupied by burrowing owls and gopher tortoises,” Anderson said. “These lots will be maintained in perpetuity for the owls, the tortoises and any other native animal that occupy the lots.”