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

POSTER

On the Road to Cooperation: Protecting the Desert Tortoise During a Federal Highway Project in Joshua Tree National Park

Pedro Mazier Chavarria
Wildlife Biological Technician, Joshua Tree National Park, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA92277

The rehabilitation of roads and the conservation of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) are issues of ongoing concern within Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP). JTNP's Project 173, improvements of Route 12, reflect the park's ongoing commitment to maintain safe roads and adequately serve the growth of current as well as future visitation levels. The park is also committed to mitigate potential take of desert tortoise through habitat restoration and active monitoring programs. Under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the park is required to survey habitats affected by construction for threatened and endangered species. Through mutual cooperation of the Denver Service Center, Federal Highway Administration, and biologists at JTNP, appropriate mitigation measures were implemented to enable better egress opportunities for wildlife and minimize the impact to the surrounding habitat.