Nuzzled underneath electric transmission lines and behind the home of Rita and Nick Funk in Fairhope, much to their surprise were several gopher tortoise burrows, a federally protected species.

Though the Funks purchased the land in 2012, they did not become aware of the burrows until they permanently moved into their home in 2018.

"I wasn't thinking about Alabama initially, but I took one of my girlfriends with me and drove down Scenic 98. I said, 'Holy smokes, I could live here,'" Rita Funk said.

According to Superintendent of Vegetation Management at Riviera Utilities Josh Roberts, he first found the burrows in 2016 when preparing to work on eliminating the taller brush in the area to provide habitat for the lower brush to grow.

"My background is in forestry, and I made many site visits and found the burrows," Roberts said. "I suspected they were gopher tortoises and contacted wildlife services who confirmed it. I would say there are probably about eight to 10 burrows back there, some active and some inactive."

Roberts said he contacted a large transmission company in Mississippi who
specializes in keeping gopher tortoises safe, especially when working on nearby power transmission lines.

"We only do work in the area every two-three years, and we monitor the burrows annually," Roberts said. "When we are doing work on them, we will stake 10 feet away from the area, put a fence post around the area and keep equipment away from the circle."

In addition to roping off the area, Roberts said they also use a specialized herbicide proven safe for the tortoises.

"We collaborated with a company that has over 20 years of research, and the herbicide doesn't have any effect on them. It is targeted for only for the tall brush, and the gophers can only eat brush low to the ground," Roberts said. "'The joke is that they aren't very good jumpers.'"

"It is important that these habitats remain protected. Riviera's goal over time is to use a variety of methods like mechanical, chemical and biological vegetation management to control vegetation and help Mother Nature by controlling the invasive species," Roberts said.