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Desert Tortoise Recovery
Recovery Office
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The Desert Tortoise Recovery Office (DTRO) based at the Service's
Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office in Reno, Nevada, was established
to address population declines and focus on recovery of the Mojave
desert tortoise which occurs north and west of the Colorado River in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The establishment of the DTRO is the result of
strategies arising from the General
Accounting Office's December 2002 audit of recovery actions for
the Desert Tortoise (external link) and the October
2004 Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan Assessment (8.5 MB PDF)
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The DTRO focuses exclusively on research, monitoring, recovery plan
implementation, and associated recovery permitting, rather than
on regulation, and provides a centralized point of contact through
which these activities are coordinated. The DTRO strives to facilitate
increased scientific understanding and improved recovery progress
by increasing research activities outlined in the 2011
Revised Recovery
Plan (5.7 MB PDF).
The DTRO assists in the coordination
between managers and research scientists, and tracking and reporting
new information about the efficacy of management actions. The
DTRO works with the Desert Tortoise Management Oversight Group
in coordinating range-wide issues and works with the California
Desert Managers Group and other local, state, or regional working
groups. |
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Goals |
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Provide more effective and coordinated research, recovery, and monitoring activities. |
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Provide a sound and defensible technical basis for decision-making. |
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Assess the short- and long-term benefits of recovery actions. |
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Provide information and synthesis in a timely manner and useful format. |
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Facilitate communication of progress toward, and maintain an open dialogue regarding, desert tortoise recovery goals. |
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Provide greater credibility and support for desert tortoise recovery efforts. |
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Responsibilities |
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Provide staff support to land and resource management agencies and stakeholders to implement desert tortoise recovery actions range-wide. |
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Advise, conduct, coordinate, and prioritize research, including the administration of recovery permits. |
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Develop new techniques for monitoring desert tortoises, their habitat, and threats. |
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Recommend management actions based upon the best available science. |
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Empanel and coordinate committees, work groups, or other advisory bodies, as needed. |
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Inform policy and regulatory processes through recovery recommendations and plan reviews. |
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Develop a budget to support the Office and its objectives. |
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Provide a single point of contact for managers, policymakers, and stakeholders with scientific needs and issues. |
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Provide feedback to resource managers, policymakers, and stakeholders, including quarterly reports and scientific synthesis documents. |
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