The Gopher Tortoise—A Keystone Species Conservation Challenge
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The Gopher Tortoise - A Keystone Species Conservation Challenge
Lecture by Dr. Katherine Gentry, PhD.
Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory Auditorium
The gopher tortoise is a long-lived reptile that occupies upland habitat throughout Florida, including forests, pastures, and yards. It is considered a keystone species because it is an important part of Florida ecosystems, with over 300 other species making use of its burrow. Unfortunately, the gopher tortoise faces many conservation threats and is a State-designated Threatened species in Florida. Join us to learn about what is being done to conserve the gopher tortoise and how you can help.
Speaker Bio: Katherine (Kate) Gentry is a wildlife biologist with FWC and oversees statewide implementation of the Gopher Tortoise Management plan. Before moving to Florida, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University studying the impacts of forest management on mixed-species bird flocks. She earned her graduate degrees at George Mason University studying noise pollution impacts to songbirds in the San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC metropolitan areas.
For more information, visit https://marinelab.fsu.edu/outreach/lectures-lunch-bunch/.