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

Accomplishments of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve-A Partnership Success Story

Bill Mader
Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Washington County, Utah

The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve - only eight years old - has accomplished many meaningful projects on the ground that have benefited tortoises, people and wildlife. Partners consist of the BLM, USFWS, Utah Division of Natural Resources (UDNR), Utah State Parks, Washington County and various cities and organizations. Specific results include: an education outreach program; the construction of 45 miles of fencing; the establishment (by UDNR) of a scientifically based tortoise monitoring program; the translocation of 215 tortoises to an isolated part of the Reserve; the clearance and removal of tortoises from over 4,500 acres of developed habitat outside the Reserve; the improvement of Reserve design (boundaries) in six places; the publication of a first rate map generating community ownership; a long term public use plan for recreation; the implementation of a human impact monitoring plan by Northern Arizona University; the centralization of utilities within corridors to reduce habitat fragmentation; construction of an education center; the establishment of 13 trail heads to control access to sensitive habitat; the posting and marking of 62 miles of trails to encourage people to stay on trails; the installation of 19 bulletin boards with enlarged maps showing Reserve access; the procurement of 7,955 acres of private properties inside the Reserve; the receipt of over 20 million dollars of federal funding to purchase private property; surveys of birds of prey and the preservation of a unique pioneer site.