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The Mojave Desert population of the desert tortoise is a federally threatened species
that inhabits southern Nevada. Sites in Piute/Eldorado Valley, and Bird Spring Valley are
included in a cooperative effort by the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, the USGS
Midcontinent Ecological Science Center, and the
University of Nevada Reno, Biological
Resources Research Center to study desert tortoises in their native environment of the
Mojave Desert. Over 400,000 acres of Mojave Desert habitat under the Clark County Desert
Conservation Plan are conserved for the protection of native species, including the desert tortoise.
Researchers are tracking tortoise movements to understand how urbanization and relocation practices
affect desert tortoises and their habitat. Potential effects being considered include those on
resident tortoises and the propensity of the relocated animals to move within and adapt to the
area to which they are relocated. To date, 1,500 tortoises have been relocated within a Large-scale
Translocation Site west of Jean, Nevada, 160 of which have been equipped with radio transmitters to
determine their location and survival. In Bird Spring Valley, an additional 120 tortoises
(60 resident and 60 relocated) with radio transmitters are providing information about habitat,
reproduction, movement, and survivorship. In Piute/Eldorado Valley, researchers are developing
and testing methods to statistically estimate population densities, and studying reproduction by
x-raying female tortoises to determine frequency of reproduction and egg clutch size.
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