It didn't take long after getting off the boat at Egmont key to spot our first gopher tortoise. We walked inland from the shore towards the white lighthouse that was built during the civil war along with the fort and other ruins on the island. To the left of the lighthouse, in the middle of the grass, a family was excitedly taking pictures of a gopher tortoise. We took our time noticing the wildflowers in the brush next to us. But on closer inspection, we noticed a tortoise right there in the brush eating leaves and grass.

150 years ago this island was a fortress inhabited by soldiers during the Civil War and the Spanish American War. Human residents had long died out. What remains are the concrete foundations of town buildings, the brick road, a lighthouse, and a fort. But the human inhabitants were long gone. A few dozen, according to the sign in front of the ancient graveyard that was next to the lighthouse perished due to a yellow fever epidemic.

The human residents may be long gone except the visiting park rangers, volunteers, and tourists, but gopher tortoises have claimed this place as their home. Walking through the grass where two gopher tortoises graze I see stakes set in a square in the brush. It's to protect the tortoise's home, the current resident on the island. He dug his burrow in the sandy soil, a durable and sufficient home; a cozy place in the earth to cool off and relax after grazing many hours in the hot Florida sun.

There are no predators of the tortoise on the island, this is quickly apparent when you notice how many tortoises there are. Every time you turn down another trail you see another tortoise foraging in the brush, digging his burrow, or walking quickly, for a tortoise, across the grass. Many of the tortoises are quite large. They can live to be 60 years old. Twice as old as many of the historic human residents that had tragically short lives on the island. Tortoises are specialized in surviving and thriving so long as we support them in the endeavor by ensuring their habitat stays intact.

An interesting fact about these tortoises is their hospitality. They dig large burrows so wide they could fit a badger. Their tunnels can extend ten feet deep and 40 feet long and are home to many other species including snakes and lizards. Few species are known to share the burrows, but the tortoises gladly share their gift, earning them the title of a keystone species, meaning they are an invaluable species to the surviving and thriving of their ecosystem.

As we walked the island's old red brick roads, still well preserved, we saw a black snake bolt across the path. My husband jumped at the sight not expecting to see a snake. I assured him it was a southern black racer, harmless snakes that are common in the area. Maybe this snake is a roommate with one of the tortoises here. It wasn't long before we saw another one. He was gone in a flash quickly hidden in the dense brush of palm branches, long grass, and wildflowers among other native plants.

Gopher tortoises are special, because of their survivability as well as their hospitality; somehow, these two things can go in hand, and this tortoise has mastered that. So often, when we humans think of survivability we think of isolation, of defending ourselves to fight off danger. That's what the historic human residents on the island were thinking, surviving on this island by fighting off their political enemies in war. Yet many didn't survive long and even their buildings are nothing more now than a few foundations. In our defensive efforts to survive, it still faded away.

But here these tortoises are not just surviving but thriving, they need not much more than grass, leaves, and flowers to eat. They dig their holes in the sand, and live 60 years this way, as long as many humans, and all while not isolating themselves, living in fear, having war, or taking. They live simply and give much. To any and all who need shelter and a home, they dig their burrows and say "welcome, there's more than enough room," and together they live peacefully.

Even to us human visitors, the tortoises do not run and hide, they display the hospitality for all of us to see. They sit in the open and graze in the grass as we watch and wonder at these curiously docile creatures. I wonder if us humans could thrive in a similar way to the tortoises, consuming only as much as we need, not living in fear of lack but graciously giving to all creatures around us who need shelter. A refuge, a hospitable keystone species. I know historically humans have often been creatures of fear and greed, so desperately trying to survive only to tragically lose it all when we could be creatures like the gopher tortoises protecting our fellow creatures and helping them thrive.

On this island at least I think humans have begun to learn from the gopher tortoise. The tortoise is officially protected in Florida. It is illegal to take or harm them in any way. We have offered our protection to this species who protects other species so graciously. Most of the island is inaccessible to humans, it is a national bird sanctuary. At least in these little pockets of protected land, we see how humans can work to protect and help our fellow creatures rather than harm them. Humans continue to help prevent erosion among other things like doing controlled burns to help keep this habitat here for the many species that call the island home.

Hopefully, we can continue to learn from the gopher tortoise and the humans who are working hard to protect habitats and help species thrive. Maybe we will continue to learn and be more like the gopher tortoises, being hospitable and protecting all our neighbors, human, animal, and plant alike, rather than living in greed and fear. With hospitality, we can all thrive.