Green Options » desert tortoise

Permit to Kill Endangered Species Sought by Clark County and 5 Nevada Cities

Rhishja Larson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:43:26 +0000

Local governments in Nevada are seeking a permit from the Department of the Interior to kill endangered species so they can “develop” 200,000 acres of desert habitat.

Nevada’s Clark County and the cities of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite, and North Las Vegas were authorized in 2001 to destroy 145,000 acres of fragile desert habitat. That is, they have permission to “take” 78 species of animals and plants - including the threatened desert tortoise - in order to further develop the overbuilt Nevada desert.

But they want more.

Army’s Desert Tortoise Translocation Plans Successfully Halted

Rhishja Larson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:53:31 +0000

The Army’s proposal to move 1,000 desert tortoises has been placed on hold by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, amid concerns over the Army’s previous plan that resulted in the death of 252 out of 600 tortoises.

The Center for Biological Diversity announced that a plan by the Army to move over 1,000 federally and state-listed threatened desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) from their Fort Irwin habitat to Bureau of Land Management lands has successfully been halted.

Army’s Desert Tortoise Translocation Program Suspended due to Lawsuit

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:28:57 +0000

In order to expand training operations at Fort Irwin, CA, the Army began relocating 770 desert tortoises in March 2008. Coyotes immediately began killing the relocated tortoises. In response to a lawsuit filed by The Center for Biological Diversity to stop the translocation, the Army suspended the operation. Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity explained:

We predicted that the translocation of tortoises from Fort Irwin’s expansion would be disastrous, and unfortunately, we were proven right. The loss of so many tortoises is certainly not helping this threatened population. The Army must minimize the death rate. If relocation really is necessary, it needs to be done much more carefully.

Image: USGS

Via: World-Wire