Florida Turtle Conservation Trust
Working to Conserve Florida’s Rich Turtle Diversity
Update 2021
Hello friends and patrons of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust (FTCT). Despite the challenges and
limitations caused by the ongoing pandemic, we remain focused on turtle conservation opportunities. Our small
conservation NGO continues working to conserve Florida's rich turtle diversity through research, education, and
advocacy. We are pleased to provide you with this summary of our 2021 activities to date.
Thank you for your continued support of the FTCT. As you know, our projects and programs are entirely funded
by grants and private contributions. We are most grateful to our generous donors who make this important
conservation work possible. Your financial contributions have enabled us to complete a long list of field projects
and conservation education programs since our formation in 1999. As a reminder, the FTCT is a tax-exempt
organization under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3), so all donations and gifts are tax deductible as allowable
by law.
If you wish to name the FTCT in your will or estate plan, we should be named as: Florida Turtle Conservation
Trust, a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of Florida, with principal
business address of 1213 Alhambra Way S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705-4620. Tax identification number:
65-0914313. Date of incorporation: 11 February 1999.
Respectfully,


George L. Heinrich, Executive Director Timothy J. Walsh, Assistant Director
The Big Turtle Year continues to promote awareness
It has been nearly four years since The Big Turtle Year (www.thebigturtleyear.org), yet we still receive requests
for speaking engagements. This conservation education initiative continues to promote awareness regarding the
diversity, status, and conservation needs of this imperiled group of wildlife in the United States (most turtle-rich
country). The pandemic prevented us from presenting in person again this year, so we went virtual and offered a
webinar for Brooker Creek Preserve (Tarpon Springs, Florida).
Promoting gopher tortoise conservation on “Welcome to Florida” podcast
George L. Heinrich, FTCT Executive Director, discussed gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) ecology and
conservation on the weekly podcast, “Welcome to Florida”. If interested, you can listen to the broadcast here:
https://stpetecatalyst.com/podcast-episodes/craig-pittmans-welcome-to-florida-the-gopher-tortoise/. To learn
more about this threatened keystone species and the world in which it lives, please visit the Gopher Tortoise
Council’s website (www.gophertortoisecouncil.org) and Facebook page.

Florida Turtle Conservation Trust • 1213 Alhambra Way S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705-4620
www.ftct.org • (727) 599-1843 • george@heinrichecologicalservices.com
Bruce Experiences - Off the Beaten Path: Adventures in the Field
Tim Walsh, FTCT Assistant Director, was one of two conservation biologists who presented on how their
childhood experiences in nature led to rewarding and productive careers during a recent program sponsored by
the Bruce Museum. Tim included a nice overview of 17 years of FTCT fieldwork focused on Suwannee cooters
(Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis). Dr. Craig Stanford (University of Southern California) presented on his
career as an internationally renowned primatologist and turtle biologist. Watch the presentation here: https://
vimeo.com/613745732
Latest publication resulting from our long-term Suwannee cooter research
We are pleased to share the following publication from our 6.5-year research on the distribution and status of
Suwannee cooters in the Alafia River (Hillsborough County, Florida). Published in the Journal of North
American Herpetology, this paper reports on the first field study of this turtle in a blackwater river system
within the southern portion of the subspecies’ range. Multiple survey methods during 2015-2020 revealed that a
substantial population of Suwannee cooters inhabits much of this river system. Further research on these turtles
in the Alafia River is needed to better understand what appears to be the largest population of this subspecies
within its southern range. Our study provides a platform for future research and for conservation and
management of a critical population of this turtle. Link to PDF: Heinrich, G.L., T.J. Walsh, D.R. Jackson, and
J.S. Doody. 2021. Distribution and status of the Suwannee cooter, Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis, in the
Alafia River (Hillsborough County, Florida, USA). Journal of North American Herpetology 2021(1):19-28.

Can turtles respond to global warming through nest site choice?
George L. Heinrich has joined Dr. Sean Doody’s (University of South Florida) research on whether turtles can
use nest sites choice behavior to counter global warming. Field studies have been completed on Florida softshell
turtles (Apalone ferox) and gopher tortoises at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (St. Petersburg, Florida), and
manuscripts are being prepared. Dr. Doody recently presented on the Florida softshell turtle work at the 17th
Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles (joint meeting of the
Turtle Survival Alliance and the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group). Fieldwork focused on
peninsula cooters (Pseudemys floridana peninsularis) is ongoing at Sawgrass Lake Park (St. Petersburg,
Florida). That makes three species, each representing a different family. This is interesting work. Results to be
shared soon.

Grant received for new Tampa Bay diamondback terrapin project
We are excited to announce the start of a three-year field project on the distribution and status of the ornate
diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota) in the Tampa Bay region. This imperiled turtle is
restricted to brackish water habitats, and identified threats include mortality in crab pots, impacts of climate
change, and loss of nesting habitat. A grant proposal submitted by Dr. J. Sean Doody (University of South
Florida), in collaboration with George L. Heinrich (Heinrich Ecological Services and FTCT) and Dr. Joseph A.
Butler (University of North Florida), was selected for funding by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's Tampa Bay
Environmental Restoration Fund. This project will survey this under-studied species to determine distribution,
identify nesting areas, and assess threats. The information collected will be incorporated into management
recommendations to improve terrapin conservation in the Tampa Bay region. Data gathered will be valuable to
researchers planning ecological studies and to habitat managers wanting to include terrapins in their
management plans. Understanding the geographic distribution of species is vital to informing conservation and
management decisions. Only then can biologists initiate field studies and land/water managers determine if and
where habitats may be threatened and set a course of appropriate actions.
Diamondback terrapin conservation efforts
We continue to be active in efforts to address diamondback terrapin conservation needs. In January 2020, the
FTCT joined the Center for Biological Diversity (www.biologicaldiversity.org) and the Diamondback Terrapin
Working Group (www.dtwg.org) in a petition submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission to increase protection for diamondback terrapins in Florida. Since that time, the agency has
conducted multiple webinars on proposed regulatory changes regarding take, possession, transport, and sale, as
well as the need for bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) on commercial and recreational crab pots. Implementing
a regulation requiring BRDs on all crab pots used in Florida waters would be the greatest immediate
conservation action that could be implemented by the state wildlife agency. We thank Elise Bennett (Senior
Staff Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity) for her leadership and commitment to this multi-year effort
which will likely result in positive conservation actions for this imperiled coastal species.
Donor recognition
Thank you to the following individuals for supporting the FTCT and turtle conservation during 2021: Barbara
Cady, Steven Greene, Sanna Laitila, Mary Radice, and Eric Sievers.
Cover photo: adult female Suwannee cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis) basking on the Alafia River (Hillsborough County,
Florida) by George L. Heinrich.
Page three photo: campsite during Alafia River fieldwork by Timothy J. Walsh.
Page four photo: adult female peninsula cooter (Pseudemys floridana peninsularis) at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (St. Petersburg,
Florida) by George L. Heinrich.
Page five photo: GLH measuring an adult female ornate diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota) at St. Marks NWR
(eastern panhandle Florida) by Dr. Joseph A. Butler.
Above photo: juvenile loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus m. minor) in Jackson County, Florida by George L. Heinrich.