Desert Tortoise Recovery Office

How You Can Help

You can help by being a good visitor to the desert! If you see a tortoise in the wild, do not disturb it. Observe it from a safe distance. Tortoises may empty their bladder if frightened or mishandled, losing valuable water they need to survive in the desert environment. They are protected under the Endangered Species Act, and it is illegal to take tortoises from the wild. You may adopt one through adoption programs in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Utah. Pleased do not release your adopted tortoise into the wild, as they may introduce disease into the wild population or be unable to survive in the unfamiliar territory.

The desert is a harsh but sensitive environment. Non-human actions like drought, predation, and disease take a toll on the desert tortoise naturally. Adding human activities such as mining, grazing, and off-highway vehicles, and the threats to the species escalate. Stay on designated trails or roads when visting the desert. Keep dogs on leashes to prevent harm to tortoises when visiting the desert and report free-ranging dogs to the Desert Management Group (external link) and local animal control agencies. And as always, use caution with fire and disposal of cigarettes.

Encourage local governments and business to exclude ravens from landfills and trash containers. Food at these sites encourages and supports elevated numbers of ravens in the desert, many of which prey on young desert tortoises.

Specifications have been developed to standardize fence materials and construction procedures to confine tortoises or exclude them from harmful situations, primarily roads and highways (Desert Tortoise Exclusion Fence specifications). Prior to commencing any field work, all field workers should comply with all stipulations and measures developed by the jurisdictional land manager and the local Fish and Wildlife Service office for conducting such activities in desert tortoise habitat, which will include, at a minimum, completing a desert tortoise education program.

Find out what is being done in your state by visiting the Agencies Involved In Desert Tortoise Recovery page to see how you can get involved. We ask that when visiting the desert you "Tread Lightly" and enjoy the outdoors without leaving an impact that can damage the environment.

	DTRO Staff			Land Management For Desert Tortoise
	Desert Tortoise Recovery Planning			How You Can Help The Desert Tortoise
	Science Advisory Committee			Announcements
	DesertTortoise.gov			Meeting Summaries
	Desert Tortoise Habitat & Life History			Reports
	Threats to the Desert Tortoise