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LPG Environmental & Permitting Services, Inc. (LPGEPS) has been FORMALLY APPROVED by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to provide training courses to the public in support of the new FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent (AA) permit. The gopher tortoise was uplisted to a Threatened species by the FWC. As such, an AA permit is now required to conduct specific gopher tortoise related activities in association with relocation and recipient site projects.
LPGEPS professional staff offers decades of consulting and training experience in gopher tortoise permitting, capture, relocation and research. Additionally, our staff worked closely with the FWC and other Stakeholders during implementation of the newly revised FWC Gopher Tortoise Permitting Guidelines (GTPG) and even assisted in the testing of the new FWC online permitting system. This experience combined with a history of effectively managing development projects throughout the US will provide you with a comprehensive resource combined with a practical approach to assist in obtaining the mandatory FWC certification, as well as to ensure the effective application of the new FWC regulations.
The following courses are available for FWC certification. For complete course content, click on the course of interest.
COURSE 1
(Duration - 3 days) (Cost - $650/person)
(Government, multiple employee & group rates available)
Gopher Tortoise Transect Surveying - This course completely supplements the FWC experience requirement for this activity.
Topics covered:
- Gopher Tortoise History, Biology and Anatomy
- Transect Survey Methodology
- FWC Permitting Regulations (GTPG) associated with Surveying & Permitting
- Preparation of Relocation and Recipient Site Applications
COURSE 2
(Duration - 4 days) (Cost - $1,500/person)
(Government, multiple employee & group rates available)
This course completely supplements the experience requirement for the following activities:
- Bucket Trapping
- Live Trapping
- Hand Shovel Excavation
- Marking Transport and Release of Gopher Tortoises
AND
- Supervision of Mechanical Excavation of Gopher Tortoise Burrows - This course reduces the FWC experience criteria for this activity from excavation of 50 burrows and extraction of 20 tortoises to excavation of 30 burrows and extraction of 12 tortoises.
Topics covered:
- FWC Approved Capture Methods
- Sunshine One Call of Florida, Inc. - Florida law requires you to locate underground utilities prior to conducting earthwork on a project site.
- OSHA Safe Excavation Regulations - Currently, there are no FWC certifications required for backhoe operators; however, review of OSHA regulations is recommended.
- Overview of Collection & Submittal of Blood Samples
- LPGEPS has multiple permitted relocation sites that will be utilized for training courses. Only training entities with permitted relocation projects are allowed to excavate & trap ACTIVE gopher tortoise burrows!!! Don’t miss out on optimal training opportunities by being limited to excavating abandoned burrows only! Also, course participants are not responsible for providing properties or permitted sites for transect survey or excavation training!!!
- LPGEPS AA Certification Courses meet all FWC certification and training requirements, yet are tailored to the needs of the participants with focus on specific areas of interest and need! A la carte training options may be available – contact us to inquire.
- Have a large group? Discounts are available for large groups, multiple employees and government entities.
- Depending upon site availability and interest, our courses are mobile in order to reduce your travel costs.
- 2 backhoes will be utilized for those Course 2 classes with 5 or more participants, in order to maximize hands-on experience during the course! (Did you know that you can count some of the burrows excavated during the course towards the remainder of the experience criterion for mechanical excavation?)
- LPGEPS AA Certification Courses are approved as Continuing Education (CE) credits associated with the International Society of Technical and Environmental Professionals (INSTEP) – Licensed Environmental Professional certification. LPGEPS’ Course 1 = 24 hours of CE credits and LPGEPS Course 2’ = 32 hours of CE credits. Learn More
- ALSO, The Wildlife Society (TWS) has approved LPGEPS’ Courses 1 and 2 as educational requirements in obtaining the Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB) and Associate Wildlife Biologist (AWB) certifications. LPGEPS’ Course 1 = 19 contact hours in Category 1 and LPGEPS’ Course 2 = 16 hours in Category 1. Also, each of the courses may provide course substitutions in the wildlife biology and policy/administration/law categories in the CWB/AWB application. Learn More
- LPGEPS also has Certified AAs on staff to assist in your excavation projects, upon request.
Scheduled Course Dates and Registration Information
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