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26th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, March 16-18, 2001
Abstracts
Desert Tortoise Recovery Efforts in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
Ann M. McLuckie1, Rick A. Fridell1
and Randy Radant2
1Utah Division of Wildlife Resources,
344 E. Sunland Dr. #8, St. George, Utah 84790
2Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, P.O. Box 146301, SLC, UT 84114
On April 2, 1990, the Mojave desert tortoise population was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Declines of Mojave populations rangewide are associated with habitat degradation, disease, predation, and human-related mortality. The Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan identifies the Upper Virgin River population (managed as the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve) as one of six distinct recovery units. Due to its proximity to urban growth and considerably smaller size than other recovery units, it is classified as having a high degree of threat.
In an effort to resolve conflicts between urban development and desert tortoise conservation, the habitat conservation planning process was initiated in Washington County, Utah in 1991. In February 1996, Washington County received an incidental take permit for 1,169 tortoises, 12,264 acres of desert tortoise habitat, and 31,282 acres of potential habitat. The HCP offers measures to minimize and mitigate take by establishing a 61,022 acre Reserve. A primary goal of the Reserve is to maintain tortoise viability in perpetuity by implementation of the recovery measures outlined in the Recovery Plan.
One of the primary mitigation efforts has been federal land acquisition. BLM is spearheading land exchanges and purchases based on fair market value. A cooperative law enforcement program has been established with officers from Federal, state, and local agencies to control illegal OHV activity, wildlife collection, as well as maintaining signing and fencing. Fencing around the perimeter of the Reserve has been established to control vehicle access and prevent tortoises from moving into adjacent developments. A public use plan is in process to control human use impacts in the Reserve. Since 1997, DWR has gathered baseline information on desert tortoise densities and abundances. The primary reason that so many recovery measures are being implemented in the Reserve is the broad based cooperation and communication between local, state, and federal agencies.