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After 7 years at Sandalwood High School, the gopher tortoises will be relocated to another home. Their departure leaves room to expand the range for the mountain tortoises, Manouria emys. They will now have the large part of the enclosure that the gopher tortoises were in. The sandy, barren terrain will eventually be transformed into a lush, tropical enclosure that will be more aethetically pleasing to the visitors in our courtyard. |
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The Sandalwood Gopher Tortoise Reserve (SGTR) was
originally started as the Fort Caroline Gopher Tortoise Reserve
at Fort Caroline Middle School, also in Jacksonville, Florida. The
gopher tortoises were donated to me (Mike Monlezun) in August 2001
and brought to school at that time. They, 1 male and 5 females,
had approximately 900 square feet of space to roam. They reproduced
and eggs were layed the following May, but none of the hatchlings
survived more than about 3 months. I was fortunate to get a teaching
position at Sandalwood to start the 2003-2004 school year and the
tortoises followed. A few eggs were discovered when moving the tortoises
and time will tell if there will be any success there. Below are
a few links to from the FCGTR, including the Florida Times-Union
newspaper articles. |
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| 2003 |
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2005 |
| The original enclosure shortly after
completion. Note the grass still growing and the non existent
palmetto. |
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The additional fencing still in work.
The screen is on the outside of the flower box to keep the plants
intact. The top of the fencing is attached to chain-link fence
poles |
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| Summer 2006 |
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| Taken from the roof, this view shows the
gopher tortoises space, and, hidden behind the holly tree, is the
smaller enclosure that the mountain tortoises are in. |
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| Although the SGTR is about the gopher tortoises and the key role
they play in our regional ecology, there are many more species of
turtles and tortoises (chelonians) that are in much more danger
of becoming extinct in our lifetime. Many of these are in Asia,
where new found wealth has made the harvesting of wild chelonians
a very lucrative business for some. We are doing our part
to promote an awareness of this Asian turtle crisis through teachings
in the Sandalwood Herpetology Club. |
| 11/18/01
Florida Times-Union article #1 |
| 08/14/02
Florida Times-Union article #2 |
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10/19/05 Florida Times-Union article #3 |
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| The Sandalwood Gopher Tortoise Reserve is maintained by the Sandalwood
Herpetology Club under the supervision of Mike
Monlezun. Please feel free to contact me at any time regarding anything
pertaining to these tortoises or reptiles in general. Tours of the facility
are available with at least 2-3 weeks advanced notice. |
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