29th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, February 20-23, 2004
Abstracts

STUDENT PAPER

A Proposed Study to Determine the Effectiveness of Transmission Line Perch Guards in Reducing Tortoise Hatchling Predation

Jayson Barangan^1,2, William I. Boarman³, and Steven Collins^2 
1Department of Environmental Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
²Environmental Planning Group (EPG) of Nevada 
³USGS-Western Ecological Research Center

In the nearly treeless landscape of Southern Nevada, tall power line structures provide perching sites for any birds of prey. Ravens, in particular are drawn to areas of human activity and are known to be one of the biggest threats to the Federally listed Mojave desert tortoise. Recently Nevada Power Company built a transmission line from a new power generation station in Primm, NV to a substation in the southwest Las Vegas valley. The Bighorn transmission line runs adjacent to the Desert Tortoise Center and traverses the edge of the desert tortoise relocation area in Ivanpah valley. Dissatisfied with the effectiveness of perch guards used in the past, NPC decided to try a new model for this line to deter birds from using the structures to prey on tortoise hatchlings. This poster describes a study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the new perch guards on the Bighorn transmission line.