Celebrate Gopher Tortoise Day year-round with a tortoise friendly yard Posted on The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) invites you to celebrate Gopher Tortoise Day on April 10. This year, you can celebrate gopher tortoises by making your yard tortoise friendly and participating in our new recognition program. The FWC’s new Gopher Tortoise Friendly Yard Recognition Program honors Florida’s private landowners for contributing to wildlife conservation. Gopher tortoises live in every Florida county and, since more than half of the land in Florida is privately owned, the FWC recognizes the critical role private property owners play in conserving gopher tortoises.