Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee

Today we posted the job description for our Naturalist position on our website! If you have an interest in applying to this position please use the link below and follow the instructions. https://tortoise-tracks.org/employment-opportunities/

We are very happy to announce that our 2021 Annual Meeting Conference call presentation is now available for viewing on our website! Please follow the link below to view the video. https://tortoise-tracks.org/annual-meeting-2021/

Our office will be closed Thursday, December 31st at noon. We will resume normal business hours Monday, January 4th, 2020. Wishing you all a safe and happy New Year!

Our office will be closed Thursday, December 24th at noon. We will resume normal business hours Monday, December 28th. Wishing you all a safe holiday!

We refreshed our website and made online donations easier! Please check it out and tell us what you think https://tortoise-tracks.org/71-2/

We are proud to share this letter of recognition for our partnership with the Defenders of Wildlife!

The Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee is very proud to have joined the Desert Tortoise Council, and Defenders of Wildlife in crafting and submitting the petition that has lead to this breaking news! https://www.latimes.com//desert-tortoises-join-california-

October 13th-14th is Prime Day at Amazon! We are an Amazon smile eligible organization! Please consider using this link smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7413415 when doing your online shopping and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the DTPC!

Like the desert tortoise, the Mohave ground squirrel, Spermophilus mohavensis, is listed as threatened under California’s Endangered Species Act. The Mohave ground squirrel is vegetarian with a fondness for fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata) and other annuals. - Picture by Freya Reder

Gift season is right around the corner and a wonderful gift idea is our symbolic adoption kit! Symbolically adopting a desert tortoise is a great way to support the DTPC’s efforts to conserve the species! We have redesigned our symbolic adoption kits to include various levels of giving. All symbolic adoption kits include an annual subscription to our newsletter Tortoise Tracks, a 5 x 7 photograph of a desert tortoise, personalized certificate, and informational materials. Check out these various gift options at our website link below. http://www.tortoise-tracks.org/wpto/symbolic-adoption-kits/

The DTPC office will be closed Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day. We wish you and your family a safe holiday. Photo credit - Steve and Marlene Ishii.

The DTRNA is once again open to the public! Thanks to our partners at the BLM for the guidelines on how to safely practice social distancing when hiking the DTRNA. Our hours of operation are 8am-5pm Monday - Sunday

While we are all hunkered down practicing our social distancing, we are still hard at work for conservation! The Defenders of Wildlife, along with the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee and Desert Tortoise Council, recently submitted a petition to increase the protection of the desert tortoise. http://www.tortoise-tracks.org//conservation-groups-petit/

All Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee events have been postponed as have all scheduled events at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area area. The Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area remains open for public enjoyment during these unsettling times. There is only have one Naturalist on staff at any point in time, therefore our Naturalist also remains on site. The safety of our Naturalist, visitors, and community are a priority, so please follow all CDC guidelines when visiting including practicing social distancing and do not visit in large groups. We are also restricting the number of visitors into our interpretive trailer at any one point in time. The desert spring is in full bloom, the tortoises are out, we have freshly groomed trails, plenty of fresh air and open space for public enjoyment. Stay safe and be well!

The 45th Anniversary Celebration scheduled to be held at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area on March 29th, has been postponed; as have all other scheduled events at the DTRNA. Please see the letter from our President, Ron Berger. If you are in need of fresh air during this unsettling time, the DTRNA has freshly groomed trails, the tortoises and wildflowers are out, and we have two wonderful Naturalist who can provide information and educational materials (at a distance of course).

Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to postpone our Annual Meeting that was scheduled for Saturday, March 28th. The 45th anniversary celebration will go on as planned on Sunday March 29th. Please see the letter from our President, Ron Berger, for more information.