Officials are hoping to slow down activism on behalf of some gopher tortoises in The Villages.
Community Development District 2 Supervisor Tom Swiers recently formed an ad hoc committee of residents who are concerned about the gopher tortoises at the Harold S. Schwartz Wildlife Preserve in the Village of Santiago. Among the residents’ concerns are worries that the gopher tortoises aren’t getting enough to eat due to lack of vegetation.
In a recent meeting, Swiers disclosed that his merry band of gopher protectors planted cactus in the preserve and put up chicken wire to prevent new hatchlings from escaping. The committee found that many hatchlings were run over by cars when they strayed out of the preserve…