Lykes Gopher Tortoise Recipient Site

Client: Lykes Brothers, Inc.

Location: Florida

Summary: Cardno ENTRIX established and manages the Lykes Guinea Ford and West Grasshopper gopher tortoise recipient sites for Lykes Bros Inc. in Glades County, Florida. Cardno ENTRIX obtained approvals from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FFWCC) to use the suitable upland habitat on the sites as a multiple project gopher tortoise recipient site that can accept approximately 2,500 additional gopher tortoises from on-site and off-site projects. The first two phases encompass 2,000 acres of the entire 43,000-acre mitigation parcel. As part of this project, we prepared a long-term holistic land management plan for the property that focuses on improving the habitat for gopher tortoises thereby increasing the amount of gopher tortoises that can be relocated to the property. Other faunal species benefiting from this project include Florida scrub-jays, Florida panther, black bear, southeastern American kestrel, Florida sandhill crane, Sherman?s fox squirrel, wading birds, Florida mouse, eastern indigo snake, and gopher frogs.