Averting an ‘extinction trajectory’: Volunteers scour Washington County desert for tortoise indicators

ST. GEORGE — Jennifer Stone and Fred Armstrong lean on the bottom to see into what may very well be a Mojave desert tortoise burrow. On the opposite aspect of a giant wash, Debi Turner and Ash Sargent navigate rocky, sandy terrain to scout for any signal of the reptiles.

These 4 comprised considered one of two volunteer teams from the nonprofit Preserve Southwest Utah within the space that Saturday morning, March 16.

Strolling alongside the sting of washes and on “soil benches,” the slender strips of land between steeper slopes, every group photographed and recorded potential indicators of Mojave desert tortoises, reminiscent of scat, burrows or the reptiles themselves.

“I’ve a heartfelt thanks for the volunteers which were concerned with our program,” mentioned Fred Armstrong, stewardship coordinator for Preserve Southwest Utah.

As soon as promising tortoise burrows are recognized, the group can place distant monitoring cameras to find out whether or not they’re actively getting used, he mentioned.

John Kellam, Bureau of Land Administration wildlife biologist for the Pink Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash nationwide conservation areas, mentioned the nonprofit is in 12 months 2 of the mission, which was funded, designed and coordinated by the native BLM workplace.

Learn the total report at St. George Information.