BAY COUNTY, Fla. – Local officials looking for ways to protect regional wildlife have a new resource next month. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is bringing a regional conservation workshop to Bay County on Wednesday, July 22, to help communities safeguard native species.
The main focus of the three-hour session is helping local governments design policies specifically to protect gopher tortoises. Because these tortoises are a threatened species, their survival relies heavily on local conservation efforts.
FWC staff plan to guide attendees through the steps to set up these protections, while also showing how the same local frameworks can shield other native wildlife. To support these efforts, the state will share details about financial incentives available to local governments that actively manage wildlife habitats.
Caitlin Jones, the Local Government Coordinator for the FWC’s Wildlife Diversity Conservation Section, highlighted why these local partnerships matter so much. “The purpose of this regional workshop is to encourage local governments to be our partners in conservation for gopher tortoises, a threatened species whose burrows provide shelter to hundreds of other native species,” Jones said.
The workshop will cover more than just tortoises. Representatives from the FWC’s Shorebird Program and Bear Management Program are also scheduled to give presentations during the event to address other regional wildlife interests.
The meeting runs from 9 a.m. to noon in the Commissioners Board Room at the Bay County Government Center, located at 840 W 11th Street in Panama City. While the FWC is specifically encouraging representatives from Bay County and nearby local governments to attend, the event is free and open to any leaders looking to get involved.
Space inside the boardroom is limited, so anyone planning to go must reserve a spot in advance by signing up online at FWCLGWorkshop.eventbrite.com.
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