President's Letter & TT - Turtle & Tortoise Club of Florida

President Letter

Welcome to April everyone! I want to thank our speaker Melissa Coakley for doing such an awesome job on North American Wood Turtles (Clemmys insculpta). This month I would like to do something different - I'd like to ask club members to each bring out one turtle they are working with and talk for a few minutes. You can talk about set-ups, breeding, success stories - or anything you'd like. I was elected the Field Trip Coordinator for the Suncoast Herp Society. I would like to include Turtle Club members in these field trips. Our first was to Sawgrass Park and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a beautiful day. While we were at the park we saw black racers, water snakes, alligators, birds of all kinds, red eared sliders, yellowbellies, cooters, and several large gophers. One of the highlights of the field trip was a hatchling gopher tortoise (see below) - a rare sight indeed! A big thanks to Mike Spears for coming out to our inaugural field trip - he even brought friends. The next trip will be to Weedon Island Preserve. The field trip will be Sunday May 15th @ 2pm. All are welcome and encouraged to attend! We also have a trip lined up for June on the Alafia River. Additionally, I welcome all suggestions for future field trips.