Ecological Inventory Finds 300 Gopher Tortoises on Honeymoon

Biology students from St. Petersburg College recently volunteered part of a Sunday to document gopher tortoise activity at .

Environmental science club members from SPC's Seminole campus and park biologist Dan Larremore surveyed a 10-acre parcel of beach dunes, coastal areas, and mesic pine flatwoods during a three-hour "ecological inventory" of burrows on Feb. 19.

"It was such a great experience for the students," Kelli Stickrath, SPC biology and environmental science technology instructor, wrote to Patch.

The student volunteers recorded burrow sizes and activity status. They documented 700 burrows and estimated that 300 tortoises still use them. 

Park officials will be able to refer to the data when deciding on conservation efforts and controlled burns, Stickrath explained.

Gopher tortoises are considered a threatened species on the federal Endangered Species List. The designation makes it a felony to intentionally kill or harm them, their eggs, or their nests.

The 13 participating SPC students received a free state park pass from eco-Volunteer USA, the state park volunteer placement program that assigned them.

Participating SPC students included:

• Rodrigo Araujo
• Mateo Aristizabal
• Denise Auffant
• Kevin Christman
• Michael Dyer
• Christopher Ferris
• John Frankovich
• Patrick Harrbert
• Rita Huynh
• Victoria Huynh
• Jake Long
• Calvin Luong
• Steve Thomas