Eric Tillman

FDOT releases interactive Statewide Wildlife Crossings Map

News release from FDOT, Dec. 19th 2024

The FDOT Office of Environmental Management is excited to announce the release of our new, interactive Statewide Wildlife Crossing Map including photo galleries at crossings where cameras have been deployed.

For those of you familiar with the District 1 Google map and photos, this is a similar concept. We thank Brent Setchell for leading the way with his map and sharing his expertise to develop the statewide map. We also acknowledge the various partners such as USFWS, FGCU Wings of Hope Panther Posse, fStop Foundation, and Dr. Dan Smith for their photo and video contributions over the years. We welcome the continued sharing of pictures and videos to enhance the content of the new site from all of our partners.

Click HERE to open the map

As a quick tutorial, once you open the map, zoom in on a wildlife crossing of interest and click the dot. A box of attributes for that crossing will appear. If that crossing has a photo gallery, “View” will appear next to “Wildlife Photos”. Click the “View” link which will take you to the Google photo gallery (you might have to click past a warning (if allowed) if you are on a government computer).

We hope you enjoy exploring the map and photos. Please feel free to share with your colleagues, family, and friends.

For translocated Florida tortoises, survival is troublingly low

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.

FWC's summer wild turkey survey is underway - Report sightings!

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

FWC Unveils Interactive Wildlife Management Area Recreation Finder

With more than 6 million acres of state-managed conservation lands, options for experiencing wild Florida can be difficult to narrow down. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is proud to announce the WMA Recreation Finder, an interactive virtual map for Florida residents and visitors looking to find their perfect outdoor experience on public lands. Click this story to read more.

FWC's summer wild turkey survey is underway - Report sightings!

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