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

Progress Report for Nevada and California with a Summary of the Recovery Plan Assessment Process

Robert D. Williams
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1340 Financial Blvd, Ste. 234, Reno, NV 89502

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act including oversight of recovery efforts. USFWS reports on the status of desert tortoise recovery to the Desert Tortoise Council, Desert Managers Group, and Management Oversight Group (MOG) on an annual basis, at a minimum. USFWS serves as the chair of the MOG.

Highlights of 2003 include the commitment of USFWS to assess the 1994 Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan. The Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan Assessment Committee (Committee) was organized in March of 2003. The charge of the Committee is to review the entire Recovery Plan relative to contemporary knowledge and, based on that review, prepare recommendations on Recovery Plan updates. The Committee met monthly since April 2003, and is scheduled to present their recommendations to the MOG in March 2004. A brief overview of the Recovery Plan assessment process will be presented.

In 2003, the MOG met in Las Vegas on February 12 and September 24. At the February meeting, USFWS provided a summary of the findings and recommendations of the December 2002 GAO report to Congress. A progress report on the Recovery Plan assessment was presented by members of the Committee at the September meeting; reports were also given on the November 2002 disease workshop and activities of the Desert Managers Group.

Major desert tortoise consultations completed in 2003 include programmatic biological opinions issued to the BLM in Tonopah, Nevada and U.S. Air Force, Nevada Test and Training Range. Our Ventura Field Office issued a non-jeopardy biological opinion on route designations in the western Mojave Desert and an incidental take permit for development of an automobile test track near California City on approximately 4,000 acres. Ventura staff met with CalTrans and developed criteria for prioritizing installation of desert tortoise exclusion fencing along highways. Consultations are in progress for expansion of Ft. Irwin and the West Mojave Plan. Construction of the Kern River Natural Gas Pipeline across desert tortoise habitat in California, Nevada, Utah, and was completed in 2003 with only one confirmed desert tortoise mortality. A total of 851 desert tortoise encounters occurred, of which 232 required handling. Unfortunately, 3 tortoises were collected and removed (poached) from the project site.

Litigation pending includes a challenge of the biological opinion issued to the BLM for their California Desert Conservation Area Plan. A 60-day notice of intent to sue was received regarding the Recovery Plan and designated critical habitat.

The process of developing an environmental assessment began with the goal to reduce the level of predation on desert tortoises by common ravens. USFWS biologists developed a standard form to provide to potential desert tortoise biologists and monitors on construction projects. Temperature guidelines for permittees and a radio transmitter tracking database were also developed. Rangewide desert tortoise population monitoring efforts continued in 2003 and are proposed for 2004.

In Nevada, the Clark County Desert Conservation Plan and Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act funded desert tortoise projects including: Construction of desert tortoise exclusionary fence along highways, translocation of tortoises into a fenced 35 mi² experimental release site, research, and habitat restoration.