CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) has a long history of protecting desert tortoises. State laws have prohibited the purchase or sale of the species since 1939; shooting or harming tortoises has been against the law since 1961. In the last decade, wardens have successfully prosecuted cases involving illegal take, possession and transport of tortoises under the California Endangered Species Act and Fish and Game Codes (see Table 2 for information on law enforcement). Special legislation allows possession of captive tortoises by permit under certain circumstances (Appendix 1). The CDFG implements the permit process for captive tortoises and oversees the Adoption Program with the California Turtle and Tortoise Club (see Management of Captive Tortoises).

The CDFG provides funding for studies and research on the tortoise through the Endangered Species Tax Check-off Program and other special funding sources. For example, during the last 13 years CDFG transferred funds to experts in the Bureau of Land Management for research on upper respiratory tract disease, raven predation, growth rates in tortoise populations, and differences in shell shape between populations. In 2001, the CDFG transferred funds to the U.S. Geological Survey for research on status and trends. Working with the Nature Conservancy and the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, CDFG recently acquired substantial acreage within the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area. The agency also established the West Mojave Ecological Reserve and Fremont Valley Ecological Reserve outside the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area.