Three years ago (Summer 2015), Into Nature Films began production on Red Hill at Archbold Biological Station for a film about Gopher Tortoises.
Each visit revealed something curious. Something beautiful. Something special.
During the hours spent patiently waiting for Tortoise 21 (aka ‘The Queen’), the residents of Red Hill emerged.
Bobcats, Trap-jaw ants, fires and Sky Blue Lupines were among the array of plants and animals who make this large sandhill home.
Filming the elusive lives of the tortoises on Red Hill took a lot of time and a little luck.
The ‘Queen of Red Hill’ is more than a film about Gopher Tortoises and habitat loss.
What we found while making the film is an inspiring story of tortoise natural history entwined with human history.
This fantastic sandhill experience is only possible because of some extraordinary people.
These people cared about preservation and science before conservation was a thing in Florida.
There is a lesson in this story…just because a place is preserved, that does not mean the lives inside are necessarily protected.
And in the case of the Florida Gopher Tortoises, their habitat needs to burn.
Without fire, there would be no story of Tortoise 21, the Queen of Red Hill.
We are grateful to partner with Archbold to tell this inspiring partnership story.