27th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, March 22-24, 2002
Abstracts

Desert Tortoise Conservation at the NTC and Fort Irwin, California

Mark Massar
Charis Corporation, Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division, Bldg. 385, P.O. Box 105097, Fort Irwin, California, 92310

Despite over 20 years of intense brigade level training at Fort Irwin, desert tortoises continue to be observed throughout many areas of the nearly 650,000 acre military reservation. Numerous surveys have revealed several distinct sub-populations of desert tortoises on the installation, the largest of which occur along the post's southern border and in the foothills of the Tiefort Mountains, in areas not regularly used by tactical vehicles.

Fort Irwin has implemented a series of programs that contribute to desert tortoise conservation. These programs center on extensive education and public outreach programs, maintenance of off-limits areas, and scientific research. A 1995 USFWS Biological Opinion identifies terms and conditions which the Army must follow to be in compliance with the ESA. In addition, a Programmatic Management Plan for the tortoise has been developed to guide management of the tortoise sub-populations on the NTC.

Fort Irwin is a leader in desert tortoise research. This research, funded by Fort Irwin and conducted by world-renowned scientists, has greatly increased our knowledge of desert tortoise life history and demography, physiology, reproductive ecology, social behavior, and the effects of disease and toxic contaminants on tortoise populations. Research conducted at the Fort Irwin Study Site has provided much of what we know on the neonate and juvenile stages of desert tortoises. Ongoing projects include a long-term life history and demography study, a study to determine the viability of using head-starting programs as a recovery aid, and distance sampling of the Superior-Cronese and Fremont-Kramer critical habitat units.