ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT DESERT TORTOISES
A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH THE PUBLIC

Kristin H. Berry & Timothy Duck
CHAPTER 7-3

CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
APPENDIX 1
APPENDIX 2
APPENDIX 3

ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERTISE ON DESERT TORTOISES IN CALIFORNIA

California Turtle & Tortoise Club | Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee | Other

CALIFORNIA TURTLE AND TORTOISE CLUB

Founded in 1964, the CTTC has over 2,000 members and 12 chapters and branches. New chapters are being formed almost yearly. The Club was organized to preserve, conserve, study, and disseminate knowledge about turtles and tortoises. Chapters and branches hold monthly meetings at which local and international experts speak on a variety of subjects. The Club also has sponsored symposia and programs of national and international significance. The various chapters and branches raise funds for educational programs, as well as local and world-wide conservation projects for turtles and tortoises. The Club was organized to preserve, conserve, study, and disseminate knowledge about turtles and tortoises. Chapters and branches hold monthly meetings at which local and international experts speak on a variety of subjects. The Club also has sponsored symposia and programs of national and international significance. The various chapters and branches raise funds for educational programs, as well as local and world-wide conservation projects for turtles and tortoises. The Club is most widely recognized for its State-sanctioned ADOPTION PROGRAM for captive desert tortoises. The ADOPTION PROGRAM is managed through a network of volunteers. Because of its efforts to protect the desert tortoise, the Club received an award from the Secretary of the Interior. The Club produces a newsletter, the Tortuga Gazette, and has an extensive website (http://www.tortoise.org).

The following information on each chapter and branch provides times and locations of meetings, names of some of the 2010 officers, and the permanent addresses.

CTTC Executive Board
P.O. Box 7300
Van Nuys, CA 91409-7300
http://www.tortoise.org
Chair: Dave Friend (805) 649-4713
V. Chair: Johnny Rodriguez (805) 312-5143
Secretary: Lynda Bagley (714) 437-7042
 
Cen-Val Chapter
P.O. Box 16418
Fresno, CA 93755-6418
http://www.tortoise.org/cen-val/
President: Robert Scott cen-val_cttc@yahoo.com
Secretary/Treasurer: Kim Lemmon (559) 288-9851
Diana Gatti degatti@sbcglobal.net
Meets: First Thursday, 7:00 pm at Del Mar Elementary School, 4122 N. Del Mar, Fresno, CA
 
Chino Valley Chapter
P.O. Box 1753
Chino, CA 91708-1753
http://www.tortoise.org/chino/
President: Jim Misiak (909) 627-0424
Secretary: Penny Hyde (951) 734-3119
Adoptions: Lynda Misiak (909) 627-0424
Meets: Third Friday, 7:30 pm at Chino Community Bldg., 5443 “B ” Street, Chino, CA
 
Foothill Chapter
P.O. Box 51002
Pasadena, CA 91115-1002
http://www.tortoise.org/foothill/
President: Dianne Huwaldt critters01@earthlink.net
Treasurer: Pam Eliassen pmeliassen@earthlink.com
Adoptions: Linda Crawford (626) 836-0399
Meets: Fourth Friday, 7:30 pm at Los Angeles County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA
 
High Desert Chapter
P.O. Box 163 Victorville, CA 92392
http://www.tortoise.org/highdesert/
President: Dave Zantiny (760) 242-5198
Secretary: Mary Dutro (760) 247-2364
Adoptions: Mary Dutro (760) 247-2364
Meets: Second Monday, 7:00 p.m. at Sterling Inn Regency Room, 17738 Francesca Rd., Apple Valley, CA
 
Inland Empire Chapter
P.O. Box 2371
San Bernardino, CA 92406
http://www.tortoise.org/inlandempire/
President: Monica Dirac (909) 887-7497
V. Pres: Mary Burrows (909) 793-0518
Secretary: Vendy Martin (909) 864-0978
Meets: First Friday, 7:30 p.m. at San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA.
 
Kern County Chapter
P.O. Box 81772
Bakersfield, CA 93380-1772
http://www.kerncttc.org/
President: Leonard Plunkett (661) 809-5527
V. Pres: Kirk Muth (661) 393-4419
Adoptions: Leonard Plunkett (661) 809-5527
Meets: Third Thursday, 7:00 pm at the Rasmussen Senior Center, 115 E. Roberts Lane, Bakersfield, CA.
 
Low Desert Chapter
P.O. Box 4156
Palm Desert, CA 92261
http://www.tortoise.org/lowdesert/
President: Tony Vaninetti (760) 328-7650
Secretary: Carol Wilcox (760) 329-0036
Adoptions: Bill Powers bpowers@livingdesert.org
Meets: First Monday of every even month, 7:00 pm at The Living Desert, 47-900 Portola, Palm Desert, CA.
 
Orange County Chapter
P.O. Box 11124
Santa Ana, CA 92711
http://www.tortoise.org/orangecounty/
President: Sharon Paquette (714) 671-1467
V. Pres: Mark Szatkowski mark@szatkowskifamily.com
Adoptions: Contact Chapter occhapter@hotmail.com
Meets: Second Friday, 7:30 pm at Chapman University Science Center, Rm 127, 346 Center St., Orange, CA.
 
Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter
P.O. Box 3086
Camarillo, CA 93011-3086
http://www.tortoise.org/santabarbara/
President: Dave Friend (805) 649-4713
Adoptions: Wes Shipway (805) 491-2580
Meets in members' homes; check the Chapter Website for meeting time and location.
 
Silicon Valley Chapter
P.O. Box 64135
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-4135
http://www.tortoise.org/siliconvalley/
President: Joseph Alvarado info@reptilecompany.com
V. Pres.: Jessica Gopp foxee_77@yahoo.com
Adoptions: Kevin Norred (408) 482-5437
Meets: First Monday, 7:00 pm at Round Table Pizza, 14940 Camden Ave, San Jose, CA.
 
TOOSLO Chapter
P.O. Box 14222
San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
http://www.tooslo.org/
President: Johnny Rodriguez (805) 312-5143
V. Pres.: Ray Suydam (631) 839-0450
Adoptions: Bob Thomas (805) 481-5222
Meets: Second Wednesday, 7:00 pm at PG&E Community Center, 6588 Ontario Rd., San Luis Obispo, CA.
 
Turtle and Tortoise Care Society
P.O. Box 15965
Long Beach, CA 90815-0965
http://www.tortoise.org/ttcs/
President: Ralph Hoekstra (714) 962-0624
Treasurer: Judy Leong-Belcher (562) 425-6798
Adoptions: Peggy Nichols (562) 429-8002
Meets: Third Friday,7:30 pm at University Baptist Church, 3434 Chatwin, Long Beach, CA.
 
Valley Chapter
P.O. Box 7364
Van Nuys, CA 91409
http://www.tortoise.org/valley/
President: Larry Reiners (818) 787-8683
Secretary: Jennifer Geyer cttcjen@me.com
Treasurer: Karen Berry theflyingturtle1953@yahoo.com
Meets: Third Friday, 7:30 pm at Woodland Hills Christian Church, 5920 Shoup, Woodland Hills, CA.


DESERT TORTOISE PRESERVE COMMITTEE

The Committee was founded in 1974 to promote the welfare of the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States and to establish a preserve or Natural Area on the slopes of the western Rand Mountains and adjacent Fremont Valley (eastern Kern County) where the density of tortoises was the highest ever recorded. In 1991 the Committee expanded its land acquisition and stewardship efforts to other parts of the California deserts. 

The Committee has been remarkably successful in raising funds to acquire habitat, buy fencing, establish visitor facilities, and provide support for naturalists and critical monitoring projects at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area. To achieve its goals, members work closely with the California Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, some major corporations and developers, the California Turtle and Tortoise Club, and many other groups. A long-term program for land acquisition has been established and thousands of acres of habitat have been acquired. Programs for stewardship, education, and monitoring have functioned productively for several years.

The Committee has land holdings in and adjacent to the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area, at Pilot Knob in the Central Mojave Desert, in Mojave National Preserve, and in the Chuckwalla Bench. Members and volunteers lead tours, develop brochures, maintain nature trails and fencing, and give slide programs to thousands of people annually. A newsletter, Tortoise Tracks is published quarterly.  The corporation holds annual meetings in January.

The Committee and members of its Board of Trustees have been the recipients of numerous local and national awards. For example, Congress identified the Committee as a local, grass-roots organization dedicated to preserving biodiversity. For information, write to:

Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, Inc.
4067 Mission Inn Avenue
Riverside, California 92501
(951) 683-3872 (telephone)
(951) 683-6949 (facsimile)
Email: dtpc@pacbell.net
http://www.tortoise-tracks.org


OTHER CALIFORNIA ORGANIZATIONS

The Living Desert
Curator of Animals: Terrie Correll
47900 Portola Avenue
Palm Desert, California 92260
(760) 346-5694
http://www.livingdesert.org/

Joshua Tree Tortoise Rescue
P.O. Box 1099
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
(760) 369-1235
http://www.desertgold.com/tort/tort.html

Sacramento Turtle and Tortoise Club
President: Felice Rood
25 Starlit Circle
Sacramento, CA 95831
(916) 421-1134

San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society
P.O. Box 519
Imperial Beach, CA 91933-0519
http://www.sdturtle.org

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INDEX ] CHAPTER 1 ] CHAPTER 2 ] CHAPTER 3 ] CHAPTER 4 ] CHAPTER 5 ] CHAPTER 6 ] CHAPTER 7 ] APPENDIX 1 ] APPENDIX 2 ] APPENDIX 3 ]