Sanibel Island residents unite to protect gopher tortoise habitats

SANIBEL - Fla. - On Sanibel Island, saving wildlife sometimes means getting your hands dirty. Volunteers are digging in to protect one of Florida’s important animals, the gopher tortoise.

Chery Day, a volunteer with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, has found her calling in this work.

"When I retired, I was different from everybody else. I didn't want to travel the world. I wanted to make a difference in my life, and I wanted to help people and things that couldn't help themselves," said Day.

Day and her fellow volunteers are on a mission to clear overgrown vegetation, creating a habitat for the gopher tortoise.

"By removing all of this vegetation, it gives the gophers, gopher tortoises, a place to build a burrow. They like a flat spot that has open area, and as you can well tell, this area is overgrown, so we're trying to make it better for them," said Day.

Even in the rain, the volunteers are committed to their task.

"Oh, I will say we weren't anticipating this much rain today. We are, we are kind of soaking," said Kealy Pfau, SCCF Coastal Watch Director.

The gopher tortoise is a state-threatened species and considered a keystone species.

"Clearing areas like this around me to help out tortoises like this guy that lives right here in this burrow, they need open area to bask," said Pfau.

The presence of gopher tortoises benefits many other species.

"400 animals rely on gopher tortoises, mostly for their burrows and the little homes that they make underground and that other animals can seek refuge and live in. And so you have a decrease in that population, other animals are going to feel that impact," said Pfau.

For Day, every plant removed is a victory.

"It's exciting to know that maybe I did something that saved the life of a tortoise and all the other things that benefit from having all of this removed," said Day.

Day hopes the efforts will lead to a thriving ecosystem.

"I hope that this becomes a huge, huge area where they just, you know, we're back to, like 150 burrows in here, and they are just protecting the ecosystem by building their burrows," said Day.