The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve is north of St. George, Utah. A fence protects the
preserve boundary. This small preserve protects the northern-most population of desert tortoises and
is intensively managed.
Photo by Kristin Berry |
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The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) is actively involved in the protection and management of desert tortoise populations in extreme southwest Utah, including the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve and the Beaver Dam Slope. The desert tortoise is fully protected in the State of Utah and is listed as a State Endangered Species. The removal of tortoises from the wild is strictly prohibited. Possession of a captive desert tortoises is prohibited without a Certificate of Registration issued by
UDWR. Conservation Officers are actively involved in the enforcement of State law regarding native species. Several cases involving the possession of desert tortoises have been successfully prosecuted since the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.
Tortoise recovery efforts are directed by the Desert Tortoise (Mojave Population) Recovery Plan and the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Since 1997, the UDWR has developed and implemented a long-term monitoring program in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve to determine trends in regional population densities of desert tortoises, as directed by the Washington County
HCP. In addition, UDWR actively monitors incidental take related to the Habitat Conservation Plan. The Division of Wildlife Resources has also been cooperatively involved in studies on nutrition and diet selection, health, reproduction, mark-recapture, and growth rates since the early 1980s. |
