Gophers@Barefoot

Our Mission: of the Gophers@Barefoot Project is to restore and enhance the habitat for Gopher tortoises at the Barefoot Beach Preserve.

We accomplish this by simulating fire, research, preparing educational material and resources for visitors to understand and value the role of Gopher tortoises at Barefoot Beach Preserve.

Gopher tortoises live many years. They are listed as a “threatened” species in Florida primarily due to loss of habitat. They are in direct competition with humans since they use the same habitat to live as we do to build.

Gophers@Barefoot live at a world premiere destination for humans. The Barefoot Beach Preserve has been named second best on Dr. Beach’s Top Ten Beaches of 2014.

The Preserve is located just off Bonita Beach Road at the end of the Barefoot Beach Blvd. (You drive about 2.5 miles on cobblestone road through an area with multi-million dollar homes first).

Collier County Parks manages the preserve.
View the Management Plan.

Learn even more about Gophers, visit the Gopher tortoise council.

If you have questions, or want to become more involved, contact us at ndemers@fgcu.edu or (239) 590-7211.

Project Details

History (Reverse Chronology)

Fall 2018
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October 2018
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December 2017
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Fourteen FGCU Sr. Research students pulled more ragweed from the treatment area.

See images from Barefoot Restoration 17'
Students presented a study analyzing the effectiveness of the restoration efforts.
View Vegetative analysis 2 years after restoration
October 2017
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- Myself, and a student presented at the Annual Gopher Tortoise Council meeting in Aiken, SC.
- A Pilot Study: Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) foraging preferences at Barefoot Beach Preserve in Collier County, FL by Monica Hendricks and Nora Demers (poster)
- Challenges, Logistics and Competing Interests in Attempting Habitat Restoration at Barefoot Beach Preserve, Collier County, Florida by Nora Egan Demers
February 2016
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October 2015
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Gophers@Barefoot had our First Week Of Welcome event with FGCU. Over 50 students, staff, and student naturalists joined with the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve to provide service-learning hours equivalent to over $15,000! We helped beautify the Friends Cactus garden, and conducted more simulated burn in the area between parking lot 2 and the beach, mostly by cutting brush back, and pulling ragweed.

The summer of 2015 project was our first to work on ‘simulating’ fire. We pruned back sea grapes, brush, and raked up the blanket of sea grape leaves.
Summer 2015
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June 2013
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Pulled beach ragweed from off the rest of mound at the end of parking lot 2.

This video is of the work the Summer 2013 Colloquium class did to help enhance the ‘condo’ on the Preserve.
Barefoot Beach Condo Clearing

This video is of the work the Summer 2013 Colloquium class did to help enhance the ‘condo’ on the Preserve.