Upland Habitat Protection & Gopher Tortoise Workshop

In the Fall of 2002, the Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative retained the Conservation Clinic for the purpose of conducting an instructional "Protected Species and Upland Habitat Workshop". The goal of the Workshop was to inform and educate policy makers, as well as local government attorneys, of the management needs and legal authority to protect upland habitat and upland species. The workshop was held on February 27, 2003. Members of the Conservation Clinic, Stephen M. Fernandez (J.D. Candidate) and Ashley Seifert (M.S. Candidate) helped to organize the event and contributed their research and writing to the Workshop Materials. Stephen contributed by researching the current protection afforded to gopher tortoises at the federal, state and local level. He also wrote on state and local government authority to protect upland species and habitat. Ashley's research involved a through analysis of the biological management needs of the gopher tortoise and other upland habitat species. Both Ashley and Stephen presented their research at the Workshop. The written Workshop Materials are found below in the resource section of this web site.

Resources:

• Local Government Authority to Protect Upland Habitats (pdf 185kb)
• The Gopher Tortoise and Upland Habitat Protection in Florida: Legal and Policy Considerations (pdf 449kb)
• Protecting Threatened Ecosystems Through Florida's Growth Management System (pdf 460kb)
• Managing Uplands with Keystone Species: The Case of the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) (pdf 618kb)