50th Anniversary Press Release
Posted March 9, 2023
The DTPC is throwing its 50th anniversary party at the DTRNA this March 25th! For more details, download the press release posted below.
Gopherus Agassizii Now ‘Red Listed’
Posted September 24, 2021
Published this month, the desert tortoise was upgraded to critically endangered. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains a Red List for species in trouble, each being rated from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered on a global scale. This listing should benefit the species enormously if enough corporations, etc., hear about it. The full report can be reviewed below.
Conservation Groups Petition for Stronger State of California Protection of the Desert Tortoise
Posted on September 17, 2021
The Defenders of Wildlife, along with the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee and Desert Tortoise Council, submitted a petition on March 23, 2020 to the California Fish and Game Commission to change the listing status of Agassiz’s desert tortoise from threatened to endangered. At its October 2021 meeting, the Commission moved the time allocated to CDFW staff to complete the 12 month status review back six months. It will next appear on the commission’s agenda in April, 2022.
For more background or to read the petition on the Defenders of Wildlife website:
Brittany Slabach Named Preserve Manager and Conservation
Posted on July 1, 2019
Dr. Slabach in the Galapagos, May, 2019
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA – The Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, Inc. (DTPC) today announced that Dr. Brittany Slabach, PhD has been named Preserve Manager and Conservation Coordinator, effective July 1 st . Dr. Slabach has a Master’s degree in Biology and a Doctorate in Philosophy of Biology. She most recently served as project manager and lead researcher of the Kentucky Cow Elk project and as a visiting instructor at the University of Kentucky.
Ron Berger, DTPC President, said that “Brittany’s personality, education and passion for the desert tortoise and its habitat are a perfect fit for this position.” Dr. Slabach said that she “looks forward to helping to expand the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA), the largest existing preserve for the tortoise, Mohave ground squirrel and other threatened and endangered species which the DTPC, in conjunction with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other agencies has been building for more than 40 years.” Dr. Slabach also plans to “expand the education outreach program and increase the number of research projects which are crucial to the preservation of the desert tortoise and the ecosystem in which it inhabits.”
Dr. Slabach replaces Jillian Estrada, who has accepted a position as Habitat Restoration Program Specialist with the Great Lakes Commission in Michigan, and left her DTPC position on April 18 th . DTPC President Ron Berger said that “Jill has done a terrific job for us, helping to protect and recover the desert tortoise. We wish her the very best in her new adventure.”
The Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee Inc. (DTPC) is a nonprofit charitable organization established in 1974 to promote the welfare of the desert tortoise(Gopherus agassizii) in the wild through land acquisition and management, scientific research, and educational outreach. The DTPC currently owns and manages over 7,000 acres of habitat for the desert tortoise and other sensitive species in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. In collaboration with the BLM and other state and federal agencies, the DTPC helped establish the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA) in Kern County, California and to this day, the DTPC helps manage the DTRNA under a cooperative agreement with the BLM Ridgecrest Field office.
The DTRNA
The primary purposes of the DTPC are to promote the welfare of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the wild and to establish and assist in the establishment of preserves for the desert tortoise. The DTPC, in collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management and other state and federal agencies, helped establish the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA) in Kern County, California. Since the creation of the DTRNA, the DTPC has used Congressionally-appropriated Land and Water Conservation Funds, private donations, and mitigation funds received through contractual agreements with developers and state and federal agencies to acquire private lands within and adjacent to the DTRNA. Title to substantial acreage the DTPC acquired within the DTRNA was transferred to the BLM with the understanding that it would continue to be protected under existing federal mandates. In addition to transferring lands in fee title to the BLM, the DTPC also has conveyed, and is in the process of conveying, conservation easements to the State of California, as required by state Incidental Take Permits and Streambed Alteration Agreements.
In addition to its importance as protected habitat for wildlife, the DTRNA serves as an important area for research, educational outreach, and contemplative recreation. Universities, colleges, and government research agencies have undertaken major projects researching tortoises, Mohave ground squirrels and other mammals, birds, lizards, and vegetation in this protected, fenced area. These projects have resulted in many publications that help guide conservation in the desert, and there are more projects currently in process. In 1989, the DTPC and BLM developed a Naturalist Program. Drawing on shared funds, they have staffed Naturalists at the DTRNA for 3 months every spring since then. The DTRNA typically receives over 1,000 visitors during this 3-month period, and Naturalists give several programs to school and community groups, while interacting with almost all visitors passing through.
Meet The Bird Brainiacs: Common Raven
Posted April 2016
The Marine Corps is planning a $50-million effort to help save desert tortoises. But will it work?
Posted On March 6, 2016