Life Explorers: The Gopher Tortoise - One of Earth’s Oldest Living Animals
About this Event
Join Us! Life Explorers Speaker Series: The Gopher Tortoise – One of Earth’s Oldest Living Animals and Their Home at Mead Botanical Garden
Ms. Bowman, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Authorized Gopher Tortoise agent, will present information on the life history of the gopher tortoise, their protected status, and their happy lives in Mead Botanical Garden’s upland habitat restoration areas.
Catherine Bowman is certified to conduct gopher tortoise population surveys, as well as capture and relocate gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus, a state Threatened species) from development sites where they cannot be protected in their current burrows.
Catherine Bowman’s career in ecology focusing on native Florida plant communities began while she was a student at the University of Central Florida (UCF), graduating with a B. S. in Botany in 1995. During her time at UCF, Ms. Bowman was introduced to the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) and has been a member since 1993, with the Orange County (Tarflower) Chapter as her home chapter. Ms. Bowman began her career as an ecological consultant working part time for Lotspeich and Associate, Inc, a small private firm in Winter Park, while finishing school, becoming full time upon graduating. Ms. Bowman worked as a field biologist/ecologist for that consulting group until August 2013.
In August 2013, Ms. Bowman, with partner/architect Ron Blair, also a long time FNPS member, founded the consulting firm Bowman and Blair Ecology and Design, Inc., a small private firm located in Oviedo. Bowman and Blair conducts site assessments and habitat analyses, research into existing permits to support land use planning, design and management; assist in identifying land use potential as well as opportunities to integrate significant natural habitat and features into site plans. Their work includes performing wetland delineations and functional assessments; coordinating with wetland regulatory agencies to finalize determinations and aid with environmental permitting; conducting listed species habitat assessments, permitting support and preparation/implementation of listed species management plans.
Catherine, both as the Tarflower Chapter’s (the Chapter) Mead Garden Committee Chair and as a member of the Mead Botanical Garden, Inc. Board of Directors (the Board), has been working since 2013 with the Board, the Chapter, and City of Winter Park (City) staff to reintroduced native plants into portions of the south end of the Garden as part of the Garden’s botanical collection. This dry upland, with its canopy of hundred year old longleaf pine, has become a valuable, safe habitat for the Garden’s population of protected gopher tortoises. In 2025, Ms. Bowman coordinated with the Board, the City, Florida Forestry Service and the Tarflower Chapter FNPS to have an urban prescribed fire conducted in a 0.3 acre grass and wildflower area, part of the gopher tortoise habitat. The history-making burn went smoothly and has resulted in the spread of showy native fall grasses and colorful wildflowers. The Chapter is planting another 5,000 square feet of native shrubs, trees, grasses and wildflowers this summer; tours of the gopher tortoise habitat and the new planting areas will be part of the October 24 Backyard Biodiversity Day event at Mead Garden.
Topic: The Gopher Tortoise – One of Earth’s Oldest Living Animals and Their Home at Mead Botanical Garden
Speaker: Catherine Bowman, FLorida Native Plant Society - Tarflower Chapter
Date: Thursday September 10, 2026
Doors open: 9:30 A.M.
Program Time: 10:00 - 11:30 A.M.
Location: Azaela Lodge, Mead Botanical Garden, 1300 S. Denning Drive Winter Park, FL
Cost: Free - Join us for refreshments and conversation
The Life Explorers Speakers Series is held in the Azalea Lodge of Mead Botanical Garden from 10-11:30 a.m. The program is free of charge with light refreshments and coffee served.
For additional information on Mead Botanical Garden and the Life Explorer’s Series, please visit meadgarden.org
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