Gopher tortoises may not move very fast, but they sure can dig! In fact, they can dig 10 feet down and 20 feet or more in length when making a burrow. Once the digging is done, a gopher tortoise will move into the burrow, usually living alone. Other animals, such as mice, snakes, and frogs may also use the burrow for shelter.

Because gopher tortoises like to hang out underground isn't the only reason you don't often see them, though. The gopher tortoise's habitat is getting smaller in the Southern United States. Gopher tortoises used to be common in southern pine forests, but as people began to build and expand, there was less room for the tortoises. Today, the number of gopher tortoises is shrinking, putting them on the endangered species list.

Getting help they need
That's where Carver Middle School in Delray Beach, Florida, enters the picture. Four acres next to the school was made into a nature preserve for the gopher tortoises who already lived there.

"The four acres were very overgrown," says Abby Gleicher, a sixth-grade teacher at the school. The entrance and paths were difficult to get through, and there had been hurricane damage. Gleicher and her students decided something needed to be done to preserve the habitat. They applied for, and were awarded grants from the Audubon Foundation and The Gopher Tortoise Council to  help maintain the preserve. The area was fenced in and volunteers cut a pathway leading to the gopher tortoise burrows.

Now Gleicher and the kids in her after-school group called Eco-kids can visit the preserve. So far, the kids have spotted three gopher tortoise burrows!

While work is still being done on the preserve at the school, saving other tortoise habitat is still on the minds of Gleicher's students. They've been coming up with creative ideas how landowners, developers, and tortoises can coexist peacefully.

"They are fascinated by animals," says Gleicher. "We look forward to the day all students can see their place in the environment."