The Florida Turtle Conservation Trust was formed in 1999 by a group of Florida biologists and conservationists concerned with the conservation outlook for Florida turtles. Our purpose is to promote the conservation of all Florida turtle species and the preservation of intact, free-ranging populations and their associated ecosystems throughout the state of Florida. The FTCT is committed to and supports education, conservation, research, and management efforts with the above goals in mind.
About Turtle Survival Alliance
The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) was formed in 2001 as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) partnership for sustainable captive management of freshwater turtles and tortoises, and initially designated a Task Force of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. The TSA arose in response to the rampant and unsustainable harvest of Asian turtle populations to supply Chinese markets, a situation known as the Asian Turtle Crisis.
Since forming, the TSA has become recognized as a global force for turtle conservation, capable of taking swift and decisive action on behalf of critically endangered turtles and tortoises. Although the TSA was organized in response to the Asian Turtle Crisis, the group has been expanded as our understanding of the scope of turtle and tortoise declines has become better understood. The TSA has been particularly involved in recovery efforts where a managed breeding component is part of an overall survival strategy. The TSA employs a comprehensive strategy for evaluating the most critically endangered chelonians that identifies whether a species is prioritized for a captive program or through range country efforts, or a combination of both.
In the past 13 years, TSA secured nonprofit 501(c)(3) status (2005) and has centralized its base operations in South Carolina by opening the Turtle Survival Center (2013). The Turtle Survival Center, which now has AZA certification (2018), is home to a collection of more than 700 turtles and tortoises, representing 30 of the world’s critically endangered species. The TSA has also grown internationally, with significant field projects or programs in Madagascar, Myanmar and India, and additional projects in Belize, Colombia, and throughout Asia.
Today, the TSA is an action-oriented global partnership, focusing on species that are at high risk of extinction, and working in turtle diversity hotspots around the world. Widely recognized as a global catalyst for turtle conservation based on its reputation for swift and decisive action, the TSA has made a bold commitment to zero turtle extinctions in the 21st Century. The TSA is a recognized force for turtle conservation globally. TSA’s conservation actions utilize a three-pronged approach:
1. Restoring populations in the wild where possible;
2. Securing species in captivity through assurance colonies; and
3. Building the capacity to restore, secure and conserve species within their range country.
Florida Turtle Conservation Trust
Working to Conserve Florida’s Rich Turtle Diversity
Update and Funding Needs
2023
Hello friends and patrons of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust (FTCT). Our small, conservation NGO
continues working to conserve Florida's rich turtle diversity through research, education, and advocacy, and we
are proud of our achievements. We are pleased to provide you with this summary of our 2023 activities to date.
This document shares an update on the status of current projects and related funding needs. We also encourage
you to follow us on Facebook where we generally post 2-3 updates per month. Sharing those posts is a way for
you to assist with spreading the word about our work and recruiting new supporters.
Thank you for being a patron of the FTCT. Our projects and programs are solely funded by grants and private
contributions, and 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. Donations can be mailed to the address listed at the bottom of
this page or made via the link provided on our website (www.ftct.org). 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.
In other organizational news, Timothy J. Walsh, FTCT Assistant Director, will be relocating from Connecticut
to England this fall. His long list of responsibilities with FTCT includes project management, report and
manuscript preparation, mapping, imaging, website design and management, and production of print and digital
products. Tim is integral to our success and will continue serving in this key role.
Respectfully,
George L. Heinrich, Executive Director Timothy J. Walsh, Assistant Director
Florida Turtle Conservation Trust • 1213 Alhambra Way S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705-4620
www.ftct.org • (727) 599-1843 • george@heinrichecologicalservices.com
Tampa Bay diamondback terrapin survey
Out of FTCT’s three current field projects (described in this report), this research is certainly the most labor-
intensive. We have now completed two field seasons of a four-year study on the distribution and status of the
ornate diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota) in Tampa Bay, the largest open water estuary
in Florida. Funded by a grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration
Fund, Dr. J. Sean Doody (University of South Florida), George L. Heinrich (Heinrich Ecological Services and
FTCT), and Dr. Joseph A. Butler (University of North Florida) will determine distribution, identify nesting
areas, and assess threats. It should be no surprise that habitat loss and degradation, as well as crab pot mortality
have already been identified as major concerns. This project will inform management and conservation efforts
for what the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has designated a species of greatest
conservation need. Fieldwork in Pinellas County has largely been completed and we begin working in
Hillsborough County during the 2024 field season. Additional funding (~$4,000) is needed for boat-related
expenses (e.g., maintenance, fuel, and ramp and parking fees).
Protection for an imperiled coastal species
The Florida Turtle Conservation Trust continues to collaborate with the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD)
to secure protective actions by FWC on behalf of diamondback terrapins. Over the past two years, the state
wildlife agency has made regulatory changes prohibiting take from the wild, limiting possession to only those
already in captivity (permit required), and requiring 2x6-inch bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) on recreational
pots (traps). Terrapin mortality in commercial crab pots remains a major threat and we are hopeful protections
in that fishery will follow. This is the single greatest action that FWC can take to protect terrapins in our state.
Working with our partners, we will continue to advocate for stronger turtle protection. Most recently, George L.
Heinrich (FTCT Executive Director) and Elise Pautler Bennett (CBD Senior Attorney) presented on this topic at
the 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) held in Charleston,
South Carolina.
Determining the southern distribution of the Suwannee cooter
A significant part of FTCT’s work has focused on threats to the Suwannee cooter (Pseudemys concinna
suwanniensis), a large geographically restricted subspecies occurring in rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico
along the west coast of Florida. Our early investigations (beginning in 2004) centered on conservation
implications of illegal human harvest (based on the discovery of a Cedar Key dumpsite containing the remains
of 170 poached turtles). That was followed by a field and museum study on the effects of boat strikes, and
finally our current work on the southernmost distribution and status of this subspecies. The species occurrence
south of the Weeki Wachee River was uncertain and hence of conservation concern. Understanding a species’
geographic distribution is necessary to inform management plans and other conservation efforts. Our fieldwork
since 2015 has produced records from six new rivers and three new counties, as well as a range extension.
Further surveys are planned for 2023-2024. We recently presented on this work at the inaugural South Florida
Herpetological Conference held in Fort Myers, Florida. Funding (~$3,000) is needed for lodging, fuel, and boat
maintenance.
Continued studies on global warming and turtle nest site choice
George L. Heinrich continues to collaborate with Dr. Sean Doody researching whether turtles can use nest site
choice behavior to counter global warming. Preparation of manuscripts on field studies investigating gopher
tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and peninsula cooter (Pseudemys floridana peninsularis) nest site choice is
now underway. Both projects examined the potential for turtles to use nest site choice to offset the impacts of
rising temperatures on developing embryos. Further, we have initiated a project (with multiple collaborators)
designed to determine if North American turtles, in general, have used nest site choice, via canopy openness, to
offset climate differences (from Florida to Canada) and to offset climate warming effects on embryos. Canopy
openness is quantified using hemispherical photography and gap light analysis. Dr. Doody recently presented on
this latest work at the Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles
held in Charleston, South Carolina. Funding (~$5,000) is needed for purchase of cameras, and to cover lodging
and fuel expenses.
New gopher tortoise license plates to generate conservation funds
Wildlands Conservation is accepting orders for a specialty gopher tortoise license plate featuring the work of
award-winning wildlife artist Matt Patterson. Funding generated will be used to support tortoise habitat
conservation, habitat management, education, and research. The plates will be produced as soon as 3,000
vouchers have been purchased. For more details, please visit Gopher Tortoise License Plate | Wildlands
Conservation
Donor recognition
Thank you to the following donors for supporting the FTCT and our turtle conservation efforts since our
previous update: Ismail Ahmed, Alex Cannon and Marina Liem, Mary Carey, Marcie Clutter, Marla Despas,
Krause Family Charitable Foundation, Suzanne Lio, Frederick Plate, Pete Robison, Abigail Simpson, Stewart
Ulm, and Harold and Susanne Wahlquist.
Cover photo: summer campers watching a gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) at Weedon Island Preserve (Pinellas
County, Florida) by George L. Heinrich.
Page three photo (left to right): George L. Heinrich, Dr. J. Sean Doody, and Dr. Joseph A. Butler during diamondback
terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota) survey in Pinellas County, Florida; selfie by George L. Heinrich.
Page four photo: title slide from presentation at Turtle Survival Alliance symposium.
Page five photo (top): Timothy J. Walsh surveying for cooters (Pseudemys spp.) on the Myakka River (Sarasota County,
Florida) by George L. Heinrich.
Page five photo (bottom): hemispherical photographs used for quantification of canopy openness.
Above photo: gopher tortoise license plate which is now available for pre-purchase.