Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Desert Tortoise Council, March 5-8, 1999
Abstracts

Formulation of the 9.2 million-acre West Mojave Plan of southern California was recently strengthened when Bureau of Land Management staff (Alden Sievers and Wes Chambers, among others) were joined by a team leader (Bill Haigh), two biologists (Ed LaRue and Larry LaPré), geographical information systems specialist (Matt Daniels and Ann Davis, with assistance from Tom Smudka and Cheryl Hickam), government liaison (Chuck Bell), support staff (Emily Cohen and Dita Mann), and a USGS-Biological Resources Division biologist (Bill Boarman), collectively referred to as the “Team.” During 1998, the Team:

• Contracted approximately 30 species experts to complete life history profiles, including threats analyses and known occurrences, for 96 rare plant and animal species being considered by the plan;

• Completed a Current Management Situation document weighing in at about 600 pages;

• Met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game to develop a reserve design for the area and management prescriptions to resolve threats affecting the desert tortoise, Mohave ground squirrel, and other species;

• Surveyed approximately 850 square miles of the planning area to estimate distribution and density patterns of desert tortoise populations and quantify observable human disturbances;

• Acquired 1990 tortoise survey data sets from Department of Defense (Edwards Air Force Base, China Lake, Fort Irwin, and Twentynine Palms) and USGS-BRD (Dr. Kristin Berry) that, combined with the 1998 survey results, cover approximately 3,000 square miles of the planning area;

• Met with 15 Steering Committee members, environmental managers of the five military bases (collectively referred to as the “PACIDERM”), most of the 28 jurisdictions involved, and ± 50 Supergroup members to ensure public involvement in the planning process.

At this time, a biological evaluation is 95% complete, a preliminary conservation strategy has been formulated, and we will soon initiate public consensus building and produce a plan by the end of 1999.