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

We conducted survey transects and density plot censuses for Sonoran desert tortoises at Saguaro National Park (SNP) from 1995 to 1997. Surveys (n=30) were used to determine presence or absence of tortoises. Transects were divided into habitat types including slopes, bajadas, and high elevations. Tortoises occupied all habitat types except for high elevation sites in the Tucson Mountains. Mark and recapture techniques were used to estimate population densities for km2 plots (n=3) at SNP. Numbers of tortoises registered per census at each plot ranged from 34 to 82 at SNP. GPS was used to document tortoise locations. This research provides SNP with detailed information on the quality and quantity of habitat and tortoises that can be used for management, long term monitoring, and interpretation. Management considerations of this sensitive species at SNP include poaching, release of captive pets, fire, road mortality, and abandoned mines.