Julianne Gibson

Gopher tortoises, Gopherus Polyphemus, are a keystone species, currently listed as threatened in the state of Florida, which provide shelter and habitat to various other species through their extensive burrows. Gopher tortoises and their burrows are protected under state law, with many agencies and universities researching population dynamics to better understand the species and help with recovery efforts. Prescribed fire is an important management approach for maintaining gopher tortoise habitats and helps create ideal habitat variation. These burrows are usually located using traditional sampling methods such as walking transects in a given area but can be arduous to locate following prescribed fire. As a result, through use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), I am locating burrows in recently burned landscapes by walking and flying transects, then comparing the success of each method statistically through generalized linear modeling.