Saturday, November 14, 2026
Tortoise-themed arts and crafts kept the young ones enthralled.
The acoustic bluegrass of Paddle Faster provided musical entertainment at Gopher Tortoise Day 2022.
Christina Kontos, left, and Brittany Piersma, of Audubon of the Western Everglades, relax in between requests for information from attendees.
Lola Magdalener, left, and her mother Kaitlin, enjoy one of the tortoise-themed artistic activities.
One of the educational activities provided at Gopher Tortoise Day 2022.
The gopher tortoise exhibit proved to be a hit with young and old alike.
Necia Siegert, a volunteer for Audubon of the Western Everglades, oversees a child-size mockup of a gopher tortoise burrow.
More than 200 people attended Gopher Tortoise Day 2022, held at Mackle Park.
Jamie Bowden and his daughter Mila enjoying the Gopher Tortoise Fun Day at Mackle Park.
The Audubon of the Western Everglades Gopher Tortoise Team.
Brittany Piersma, Audubon of the Western Everglades field biologist, said March was a deadly month for Collier County’s gopher tortoises
Lola Magdalener, six, was busy coloring, but not too busy to explain what she found to be extra special about Gopher Tortoise Day in Florida. As is fitting, it was the tortoises themselves.
Held recently at Mackle Park by Audubon of the Western Everglades (AWE), the family friendly events featured games, arts and crafts, informative presentations, food, live music, and of course, live tortoises. Roughly 200 people partook in the three-hour-long, annual celebration, which is intended to build awareness about gopher tortoises, which are a key element of Marco Island’s biodiversity.
“One of the turtles almost climbed out of the bowl,” was Lola’s response when asked what was her favorite memory of observing the tortoises in their enclosure. She also shared that she was impressed by the fact the shell-bearing reptiles live in self-dug burrows that are shared with more than 300 other forms of wildlife.
Her mother, Kaitlen, said they traveled to Mackle for two specific reasons: “We wanted to learn more about the tortoises and it’s always nice to have something fun for the kids to do on Marco Island.”
April 10th was officially Gopher Tortoise Day in Florida, a celebration for the state’s only native tortoise, found in parts of all 67 counties. The relative of the turtle (tortoise shells are rounder and they are primarily land-based, while turtles are adapted for aquatic life) is threatened by habitat loss, incompatible forest management, disease and illegal hunting for food.
Gopher tortoises and their burrows are protected under state law. Property owners must obtain permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for the creatures to be captured and relocated before any land clearing or development occurs where their burrows exist.
Brittany Piersma, a field biologist for Naples-based Audubon of the Western Everglades, gave presentations on gopher tortoises during the event, which she said was in its second year. She was overjoyed with the turnout.
“We have a lot of people visiting from Marco, but we have people from Naples and from out of town,” she said. “So, this is a big increase over last year, when we had struggles because of COVID. It’s great to do it on Marco Island since we have such a large population of tortoises living here.”
For more information about gopher tortoises, conservation efforts and more, visit MyFWC.com/GopherTortoise and GopherTortoiseCouncil.org. For more information about Audubon of the Western Everglades, visit audubonwe.org/ or call 239-643-7822.
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