By Andrea Stetson
Fort Myers News-Press
03/29/08

More than 150 local college, elementary and high school students are asking state officials an important question: "Isn't the native gopher tortoise a better choice as one of the symbols of Florida, than the exotic "key lime pie"?

Led by FGCU's Wing's of Hope Director, Ricky Pires, the students wrote letters and drew posters to lobby state officials to name the gopher tortoise a state symbol. The top winning posters will be displayed all over Collier and Lee counties and will be featured in Florida's capital building April 21-25.

Pires said it's important to make the gopher tortoise a state symbol because it will bring more awareness to the plight of the species.

"The gopher tortoise is a keystone species that protects other species," Pires began. "We are really destroying their habitat and destroying the species. If a key lime pie can make it as a symbol last year, then a gopher tortoise should make it this year."

State Senator Burt Saunders is supporting the effort to make the gopher tortoise a state symbol.

"I think it's very important because it brings awareness," Saunders said.

"When children write letters and make posters it helps show the importance of protecting the gopher tortoise."

Saunders thinks state senators and representatives will vote to make the gopher tortoise a symbol.

The tortoise is a whole lot more important than the key lime pie, even though I do like key lime pie," Saunders said.

The gopher tortoise is known as a keystone species because it helps more than 300 species that share its hole and habitat. But the gopher tortoise population is steadily declining because of loss of habitat.

FGCU has partnered with the Collier County Audubon Society, local students, the Florida Wildlife Federation and The Conservancy of Southwest Florida to use art and education to enhance public awareness to lobby for the gopher tortoise to become the next symbol of Florida.

Sarah Davis, an FGCU grad student, has been helping to spread the word about gopher tortoises through the FGCU Wings of Hope program.

"I think it's really important because they are a native species and they are a part of the Southwest Florida environment," Davis said. "It's not just important to bring awareness to sea turtles, but to the land turtles we have here. Their main habitat is uplands which is where most developers want to develop."

Davis said she thinks the posters and letters from local school children will help bring awareness to the plight of the gopher tortoise and the campaign to make it a state symbol.

Local school children as young as fourth grade eagerly jumped in to write letters and draw posters.

"The gopher tortoise can not survive without its habitat, so it is up to us to protect that habitat," wrote fourth grader Sam Hone. "I would appreciate your support in making the gopher tortoise a state symbol and working to help protect gopher tortoise habitat."

Tana Noble, another fourth grader, wrote a letter to Sen. Saunders asking for his support. After writing two long paragraphs about the gopher tortoise, its importance and its habitat, Tana concluded her letter by stating, "I am sure you can see the important and special impact these unique creatures have on our Florida environment. Please cast your vote as YES for having the gopher tortoise become one of Florida's state symbols."

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