Poster Contest
Gopher Tortoise
Florida’s Keystone Symbol
“Land Toritoise”
The decline of the Gopher Tortoise, a keystone species of over 300 Florida wildlife species, and the destruction and loss of its habitat has become a conservation crisis in Florida. Many other wildlife species share upland habitat and will benefit from Gopher Tortoise habitat protection. Those species include other imperiled species such as the gopher frog, indigo snake, scrub jay, Sherman fox squirrel and the Florida panther.
The partnership of Collier County Audubon Society, Florida Gulf Coast University “Wings of Hope” program, and Collier county elementary to high school students are lobbying with their art, education, and awareness to have the Gopher Tortoise as one of Florida’s Symbols. The students educate others about the Gopher Tortoise as an important part of Florida’s ecology. As in any food web, if you start taking certain flora and fauna out of the equation, then you can adversely affect the survival of that ecosystem.
Students and the Community of Florida ask the question.
“Isn’t the native Gopher Tortoise a better choice as one of the Symbols of Florida, than the exotic “Keylime pie”?
Over 150 Collier county elementary and high school students created a poster “featuring” Florida’s Gopher Tortoise and its habitat. The top winning posters will be displayed all over Collier and Lee county and featured in Florida’s Capital Building April 21st – 25th, 2008.
Each year the Wings of Hope program sponsors a poster contest for area school students. 2006 featured Florida Environmental Symbols. Below are the winners of the High School Competition.
.jpg)
|
