Twenty-Third Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, April 3-5, 1998
Abstracts

The major purpose of the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, Inc. (DTPC) is to promote the welfare of the California State Reptile, the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the native wild state in the southwestern United States. In the past, the DTPC has established preserves for desert tortoises in areas of prime habitat in Kern and San Bernardino counties. In addition, the DTPC provided educational information to publicize the uses of the preserve lands.

One long-range objective of the organization is to provide educational programs to people traveling in the desert. The programs will center on the tortoise, but will also include information on desert ecosystems and impacts of human activities on environmental systems. One educational program, Nexus 2000, was started in 1995 to establish facilities along major highways to take advantage of the large number of people using these transportation routes. These facilities are planned to take advantage of the latest technology for multimedia presentations and interactive opportunities for visitors.

To expand the fund-raising potential of the DTPC, a permanent office was located in the City of Riverside in 1997 and an Executive Director was hired to coordinate efforts. The membership of the DTPC will be expanded and further campaign work will be conducted to raise the necessary funds to complete work on Nexus 2000. At the same time, successful mitigation programs undertaken by the DTPC (such as the Harper Lake Road fencing project) will be continued.