Eric Tillman
FWC seeks sightings of rare rainbow snakes

The FWC asks you to report sightings of the rare Rainbow Snake https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/3ee59e7

Click this story to read more.

FWC seeks sightings of rare rainbow snakes
Eric Tillman
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program - ...

402 properties are currently being reviewed and ranked in the 2025 Project Cycle of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. Click here to learn more.

Eric Tillman
FDOT releases interactive Statewide Wildlife ...
Eric Tillman
For translocated Florida tortoises, survival is ...

The Wildlife Society’s Joshua Rapp reports on a recently published study where researchers “tracked the survival rates of gopher tortoises translocated to Nokuse, a 55,000-acre property on the Florida Panhandle near Panama City that hosts reintroduced gopher tortoises moved as mitigation measures and conducts longleaf pine restoration and other conservation work”. Click HERE to read the story.

Eric Tillman
FWC's summer wild turkey survey is underway - ...

Help biologists learn more about Florida’s wild turkey populations by reporting all wild turkeys you see during your normal daily activities from June 1 to Aug. 31.

We’re interested in sightings of hens with and without poults (young wild turkeys), and male birds (jakes and gobblers) from all regions of the state, including rural and developed areas. When reporting numbers of poults, be sure to look carefully because young birds may be difficult to see in tall grass or brush.

The Sunshine State is home to healthy wild turkey populations. They occur throughout Florida and prefer open forests and forest edges and openings. Our biologists conduct this survey each year to learn more about annual nesting success, brood survival, and distribution and abundance of wild turkeys.

Learn more about the FWC’s summer wild turkey survey.

Report your wild turkey sightings online: bit.ly/3qtVbVF OR by using the Survey123ArcGIS app: bit.ly/3OVVP8n

Florida's water set to become big issue of 2015

Florida's water set to become big issue of 2015

Audubon Florida has a detailed synopsis of the 2014 Florida legislative session with regards to wildlife and conservation issues. 

Some highlights:

"From the beginning of session and all throughout, we heard that next year will be the year for water policy issues as the incoming leadership prefers to address those important topics at the 2015 Session. "

"The 2014 Legislative Session brought out many new supporters as Senators and Representatives alike began to understand the need to address some of the state’s critical water quality problems.

FWC recognizes wildlife scientist with Louise Ireland Humphrey Achievement Award

Meeting today at the Florida Public Safety Institute near Tallahassee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recognized wildlife scientist Joan Berish with the 2013 Louise Ireland Humphrey Achievement Award.

Berish, who has worked for the FWC more than 33 years and lives in Gainesville, has been at the forefront of work involving conserving and managing gopher tortoises, a listed species in Florida. Berish’s work has benefited not only gopher tortoises but also a host of other species that live in and are dependent on active gopher tortoise burrows to survive.

TWS Action Alert: Support Wildlife Funding!

In March, the President released his request for FY 2015 federal budget levels. Over the next several weeks, Congress will consider this request and develop spending bills to fund the government in FY 2015.
 
The majority of wildlife and natural resources conservation programs received stable or increased funding in the President's budget, with increases to the overall budgets of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Geological Survey. However, a few critical programs did not. For example, the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program (SWG) would see a 15% decrease in funding from the FY14 level of $58.7 million to only $50 million under the President's budget. This key program has, for ten years, provided states and tribes the resources to support and implement wildlife conservation programs to keep non-game species off of the endangered species list.