Use your years of experience to envision, design, and develop the next generation of ArcGIS products. Join ESRI, where your individual contributions will have an impact on new software functionality. Apply now or search other opportunities.
Stiles and BRA Team to Relocate Tortoises to Nature Preserve
Written by Biological Research Associates (BRA)
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
TAMPA, FL –Biological Research Associates (BRA), a division of ENTRIX, Inc., one of the largest natural resource management firms in the nation, today announced the successful completion of a gopher tortoise relocation project for Stiles Corporation. Seven tortoises were moved from a commercial tract being developed by Stiles in Hernando County to a new home in a nearby nature preserve.
“Knowing that doing the right thing is not always the easiest and cheapest way of doing business, Stiles Corporation chose to take the high road to protect the tortoises,” said Lee Walton, senior project scientist for Tampa-based BRA. “Even after fulfilling all the conditions set in the original permit, which included a monetary contribution to the Wildlife Resource Mitigation Fund for the acquisition of protected tortoise habitat, Stiles chose to go the extra mile and requested our assistance to ensure that the tortoises on-site would be relocated out of harm’s way.”
For several months, BRA surveyed and marked tortoise burrows on Stiles’ Villages of Avalon commercial tract in the Spring Hill area, in preparation for the relocation to the 2.5-acre Tower Island preserve, located within Manatee County’s Emerson Point Park.
“The Tower Island site, managed by Manatee County Conservation Lands Management Department, is a good home for the tortoises because it is a protected site with plenty of suitable habitat,” said Walton. “The site also has a nature trail to allow the public to view one of the state’s oldest residences.”
Once a safe and permanent new home was identified for the tortoises, a petition to amend the original permit was submitted to the State of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which granted the request.
In September, BRA safely excavated every tortoise burrow on the site. Some of the burrows were 20 feet in length and up to 12 feet below existing grade. All the tortoises were transported to the Tower Island site and released to their new home.
A full-service environmental consulting firm providing a broad spectrum of environmental services, Biological Research Associates provides innovative solutions in regulatory permitting, environmental assessment, natural resource management, ecology, GIS and other related services. BRA serves all of Florida, the southeastern United States, Caribbean, and Central America from full-service offices in Tampa, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Destin, Panama City, Vero Beach, Fort Myers, and West Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, please visit www.biologicalresearch.com.
Stiles Corporation is a full-service commercial real estate development and investment company. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, the company has additional regional offices in Miami, Tampa, Ft. Myers, and Orlando, Florida. The company, with assistance from companies like BRA, is dedicated to its clients and the community. It is also responsible for more than 37 million square feet of office, industrial, retail, and mixed-use residential projects throughout the southeastern United States. For more information, visit www.stiles.com.
2009 International ESRI User Conference - July 13–17, 2009, at the San Diego Convention Center in California - ESRI customers across the globe are invited to attend the world's largest gathering of GIS professionals. If you have ESRI UC related news, details of a presentation, special event, contest, SIG or ? be sure to send details to press at gisuser.com so we can help spread the word!
GISuser Spotlight... Twitter clients for the Google G1 and Android mobile smart phones - I’m currently using the G1 as my main/only mobile device - it’s a perfect time for such a challenge because I’m also traveling and away from the office so there are always hiccups and glitches that can occur under such circumstances - a perfect time for a test!
The 2009 NAVTEQ LBS Challenge a look at the semi finalists, the Winning apps, and the LBSzone picks! At the CTIA Wireless event in Las Vegas, NAVTEQ held the award ceremonies for their 6th LBS Challenge, a competition designed to stimulate interest in location services and encourage developers to create innovative location-aware applications. We look at the state of LBS, the TOP apps, the winners, and our own top picks!
Economic Stimulus Project areas that may create GIS/Geo Tech Opportunities - Like many of you, we haven't really had time to go through the entire 1,071 page Detailed List of Spending - you can view and download the entire document at ProRepublica. We did take a little time, however, to go through this fine summary.
ESRI Business GIS Summit, July 12-15, 2009 · San Diego, CA - This combination provides an unprecedented opportunity to learn how GIS addresses today's business challenges. If you're interested in business GIS as a manager, executive, or user, there's no better event to attend.vealed.
ESRI International User Conference, July 13-17, 2009 · San Diego, CA - ESRI customers across the globe are invited to register to attend the world's largest gathering of GIS professionals.
Webinar: Google Earth For Your Government Agency - Join Google and DLT an informative webinar on Tuesday, June 30th from 2-3 ET to learn more about how the Google Earth Enterprise solution is helping government agencies to collaborate, and take faster, more informed action.
Is your LizardTech Lizard star material? SHOW US and you could win a new GPS system. Simply snap a creative photo of your favorite, authentic LizardTech Collectable Lizard and see how it measures up. Photos will be featured on the official LizardTech Flickr page and voted on by viewers everywhere. Submit yours today and win!
2009 International ESRI User Conference
See more 
