Join Us for Gopher Tortoise Day in Cape Coral on April 10!
Learn about gopher tortoises and local conservation efforts during this special community event hosted by Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife and Parks & Recreation.
Join Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife for the Tortoise Trot at Rotary Park
Join CCFW at Rotary Park on March 15 for the Tortoise Trot! Bring your tortoise (under 20 lbs) for a fun race that raises awareness for gopher tortoise conservation.
Gopher Tortoise Day: SWFL celebrates threatened reptile’s big day
One of Southwest Florida’s most beloved reptiles is finally getting celebrated the way it always deserved to be. Gopher Tortoise Day is April 10, with the goal of raising awareness for the threatened species.
Gopher Tortoise Day April 10, 2024
Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife (CCFW) wants the community to be aware that Lee County has joined with many municipalities in officially proclaiming April 10 as Gopher Tortoise Day. The purpose of Gopher Tortoise Day is to to raise awareness of this threatened species and conservation efforts to protect them.
Buried alive? Gopher tortoise burrows collapsed in Lehigh Acres; major work halted 30 days
The destruction of a once-thriving gopher tortoise community in Lehigh Acres last week typifies what’s happening to the threatened species throughout Southwest Florida, advocates say.
“CHARGING” – Nature of Cape Coral Bus Tour – Cape Coral Wildlife Trust’s Gopher Tortoise Preserve
Imagine having the rare opportunity to have this “CLOSE ENCOUNTER” happen to you! Thank you to Charles Wellhausen for sharing this amazing video!
Cape canals, wildlife disturbed in Ian debris cleanup
It has come to Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife’s attention that overzealous debris removal crews with huge excavators and tandem debris trucks are scraping the lots and the banks of canals across a wide swath of Cape Coral.
Burrowing owls defenders say heavy equipment for Hurricane Ian debris is crushing underground nests
The passionate defenders of Cape Coral’s burrowing owls are livid now that tractors are clearing debris from Hurricane Ian out of the city’s canals and possibly crushing dozens of owl and gopher tortoise burrows.
How Florida wildlife is faring after Hurricane Ian
Ian resulted in the deaths of at least 130 people and displaced thousands more. Now, as residents begin to rebuild, questions remain about the future of its diverse, critically important native species.
US wildlife officials deny increased gopher tortoise protections
The destruction of a once-thriving gopher tortoise community in Lehigh Acres last week typifies what’s happening to the threatened species throughout Southwest Florida, advocates say.
Truck drives over lot littered with gopher tortoise burrows
Neighbors in one Cape Coral neighborhood say they’re keeping an eye out for a pick up truck caught on camera driving through an empty lot that’s bustling with gopher tortoise burrows.
Conservationists say they were blindsided by gopher tortoise waiver benefitting developers
Florida conservationists said they were blindsided by an executive order last month that allows developers to relocate threatened gopher tortoises anywhere in the state.
Environmental advocates worry gopher tortoises will lose protections
Environmental advocates fear the gopher tortoise could lose some protections after a state agency decided to temporarily give developers more flexibility on where gopher tortoises can be relocated.
2021 Gopher Tortoise Day
2021 Gopher Tortoise Day Cape Coral Wildlife Trust recently celebrated Gopher Tortoise Day, a special event dedicated to honoring and preserving our “Other” burrowing neighbor. The ceremony took place at a newly donated land adjacent to the Oasis Woods,...
Cape Coral to consider preserving land for gopher tortoises
Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is working with the City of Cape Coral to designate land in a Northwest Cape Coral neighborhood for gopher tortoise habitat.
Cape Coral could designate city-owned land for gopher tortoise habitat
Cape Coral environmental activists are pushing for more protections for gopher tortoises in the city, through an ordinance and the designation of a preserve.
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.