2010 SYMPOSIUM
Desert
Tortoise Council 35th Annual Symposium
February 25-February 28, 2010
Doubletree Hotel, Ontario, California
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The Desert Tortoise Council will host its Thirty-fifth
Annual Symposium on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday February
26 to February 28, 2010 at the
Doubletree Hotel, Ontario, California, with a field trip
on Thursday February 25, 2010. The Annual Business
Meeting will take place on Friday, February 26 from 8:00
a.m. - 9:00 a.m. in the Harvest/Grove Room at the
Doubletree Hotel. The Symposium will begin on
Friday, February 26 is 10:00 a.m. and end no later than
4:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 28. For registered
attendees, continental breakfast will be provided on
Saturday and Sunday; there will be a Full Fare Reception
on Friday night and a Buffet Dinner with Program on
Saturday night. The Friday night mixer will be held
outside in a tent-like structure, so it might be a good
idea to check the weather and plan to dress
accordingly. There will be space heaters.
>>
MEETING ABSTRACTS
AND PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE
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UPDATED NOTES
ON THE PROGRAM FOR THE 2010 SYMPOSIUM
Posted February 15, 2010
The Symposium starts promptly at 9:45 a.m., Friday
morning, February 26, and continues through 4:00 p.m.
Sunday afternoon. The following is the arrangement of
sessions and speakers for the three days.
Friday, February 26, 2010. The meeting begins
with Dr. Peter Paul van Dijk, who will give an
Introduction to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,
and its Application to the Desert Tortoise. Dr. van Dijk
is the Red List Focal Point for the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and
Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, as well as Director of
the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program at
Conservation International.
The first session is on renewable and
alternative sources of electrical power (wind and solar)
development in the California deserts and potential
effects on the desert tortoise, critical habitat, and
non-critical habitats. Chaired by Dan Pearson, the session
features speakers from San Diego Gas and Electric (Alan
Colton), Pacific Gas and Electric (Glen Lubcke), Southern
California Edison (Milissa Marona), the Bureau of Land
Management (Dr. Larry LaPré), and Center for Biological
Diversity (Lisa Belenky). The speakers will be available
for questions during a panel following the session. The
selection of sites for development of solar and wind power
and the transmission of that power has high potential for
profound effects on the tortoise and success of recovery
efforts.
The second session, early Friday afternoon, will
feature an array of speakers from government agencies:
State Office Biologists Amy Fesnock and Dr. Sandra Brewer
for the Bureau of Land Management in California and
Nevada, respectively; Superintendent Dennis Schramm,
Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service; Bob Wood,
Department of Defense; Dale Steele and Rebecca Jones,
Department of Fish and Game; Russell Scofield, Desert
Managers Group; and Gerry Hillier, QuadState local
governments. Each speaker will give a 10-minute report on
desert tortoise recovery efforts undertaken by their
agencies during 2009 and plans for 2010. The speakers will
participate in a panel following the presentations and the
audience will have an opportunity to ask questions.
During the third session, Mercy Vaughn, speaking
on behalf of several scientists, will provide an update of
the major research project on the desert tortoise in
Mexico. The fourth session features student
Christina Davy and co-authors, who will discuss potential
conservation benefits of multiple paternities in
tortoises. During the fifth and final session of
the day on late Friday afternoon, two featured speakers,
Drs. Howard Wilshire and Jane Nielson, will give a power
point presentation about their new book, The American
West at Risk: Science, Myths, and Politics of Land Abuse
and Recovery. Both scientists were formerly with the
U.S. Geological Survey. Dr. Wilshire has published
extensively on impacts of off-highway vehicles and land
disturbances in the Southwest; he is a well-known and
popular speaker. This new book contains valuable summaries
and references for individuals preparing environmental
statements and biological opinions. We highly recommend it
as a reference. Books will be for sale at the meeting.
Howard Wilshire, Jane Nielson, and co-author Richard
Hazlett, will be signing their book at the Mixer and
buffet dinner.
On Friday evening, a mixer and buffet dinner
will be held in the covered patio of the hotel for
registered attendees and guests of the Desert Tortoise
Council.
Saturday, February 27, 2010. The first
session of the day is composed of invited speakers and
is focused on the topic of Richard Minnich's new book, California's
Fading Wildflowers: Lost Legacy and Biological Invasions.
As many of our members already know, tortoises are
herbivores and primarily consume native plants belonging
to a few families and species. Thus this topic is of
critical interest to recovery of tortoises and
conservation of desert ecosystems. We have a stellar array
of speakers, including Dr. Minnich; landscape wildflower
photographer Rick Dickey; herbarium curator Andrew
Sanders; scientists Dr. Edith Allen, Dr. Robert Steers,
Heather Schneider, and Dr. Cameron Barrows from the
University of California at Riverside; and Dr. Kristin
Berry and co-authors of the U.S. Geological Survey. The
speakers will cover numerous topics topics, including the
history of impacts to the native vegetation, the
spectacular landscape-level displays of wildflowers in
deserts and adjacent areas, effects of nitrogen deposition
on annual forb communities, seed banks of native plants,
impacts of fire and invasive species on native desert
annuals, and the effects of the invasive Sahara mustard on
landscapes. The audience will have an opportunity to
interact with the speakers individually after each
presentation and during a panel at the close of the
session. Dr. Minnich's book will be for sale at the
meeting and is highly recommended for all attendees and
guests. Dr. Minnich will be signing his book in late
afternoon and early evening.
This session will be followed by a session on
impacts to desert tortoises and their habitats: a
paper by Alicia Styles, Mark Ender, and Lynn Zimmerman on
the response of desert tortoise populations and habitat to
the 2005 Southern Nevada complex fire in Lincoln County,
Nevada; and a paper by David Grandmaison and Ronald Mixan
on illegal collection of desert tortoises in the Sonoran
Desert. The final session on Saturday afternoon is
on effectiveness of mitigations. Dr. Bill Boarman will
give papers on effectiveness of highway barrier fencing
and removing raven nests, followed by a paper on
translocation as a viable option. The final paper of the
afternoon will be given by Tim Gowan and Kristin Berry on
health, behavior and survival of tortoises two years after
translocation from Ft. Irwin.
We will adjourn the Saturday afternoon sessions at 4:15
p.m. so that the meeting room can be prepared for the
Buffet Dinner, Raffle/Auction and Awards, which begin at
5:45 p.m. Dr. Minnich will be signing his book in the
early evening, before and during dinner. Glenn Stewart
will present Awards, and Steve Wessells will give his new
video, "The Heat is On: Desert Tortoises and
Survival." The Raffle/Auction, in response to
commentary from members and previous attendees, will be
abbreviated to 45 minutes and will focus on high quality
items, some gift cards, and fun-filled and practical
items.
Sunday, February 28. The topics for Sunday
morning and afternoon are primarily focused on the latest
results, often preliminary, of scientific research and the
potential applications for management and recovery of the
desert tortoise. The first session is on head
starting and enhancing reproduction of female tortoises.
Mary Jean McCann will present a summary of the head
starting effort for the endangered bolson tortoise. The
bolson tortoise project is supported by the Turner
Endangered Species Fund and the study sites are on Turner
ranches, the Garden State Park and the New Mexico Living
Desert Zoo, all of which are in New Mexico. Dr. Ken Nagy
and colleagues will give two papers, one on head-starting
tortoises at Twentynine Palms and a second on
shell-hardening in young tortoises. Drs. Brian Henen and
Olav Oftedal will revisit reproductive nutrition. There
will be a session and panel on health and diseases
in gopher tortoises, chaired by Dr. Jerry Simecka. This
session will include Dr. Amanda Guthrie, the 2009
recipient of the David J. Morafka Memorial Research Award.
Dr. Guthrie will present the results of research on
mycoplasmosis and the Texas tortoise. Other speakers in
the session will include Dr. Mary Brown (gopher tortoises,
Mycoplasma agassizii and host immune antibody
responses, University of Florida), Dr. Bruce Rideout
(disease risk assessments, surveillance test performance,
impact of infectious diseases on reptile populations, San
Diego Zoo), Dr. Fran Sandmeier (generation of tortoise
antibodies, University of Nevada, Reno), and Dr. Paula
Kahn and associates (efforts underway at the Desert
Tortoise Conservation Center). The scientists will address
questions from the audience on a panel following the
session.
After lunch on Sunday, Dr. Glenn Stewart will announce
the winner of the Best Student paper. The first Sunday
afternoon session features Part 2 of the government
agency reports. Ann McLuckie and co-authors (Utah Division
of Wildlife Resources) will discuss the challenges of
managing the desert tortoise at the edge of its range in
Utah; Roy Averill-Murray (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
will give a report on activities of the Desert Tortoise
Recovery Office, including status of the draft recovery
plan. Time will be allowed for questions from the audience
for these two speakers. The second and final session
on Sunday features five papers by national and local
non-profit organizations: Ileene Anderson, representing
the Center for Biological Diversity; Dr. Michael Connor
and Greta Anderson for Western Watersheds Project; David
Lamfron of the National Parks and Conservation
Association; Melissa Nicholson on behalf of the Desert
Tortoise Preserve Committee; and D'Anne Albers for
Defenders of Wildlife. These speakers will speak not only
of accomplishments but of challenges facing recovery of
tortoises and their habitats in 2009 as well as in 2010.
The Symposium adjourns at 4:00 p.m.
FIELD TRIP TO
ORD-RODMAN CRITICAL HABITAT UNIT
On Thursday February 25, Peter Woodman will lead a
field trip to visit the focal animal group for line
distance transects located in the Ord-Rodman Desert
Tortoise Critical Habitat Unit. Twelve animals are
fitted with transmitters and all who are interested can
try their hand at finding a transmittered animal.
Topics of discussion will be tortoise populations in the
Western Mojave Desert, line distance transects, and
alternative energy development. We will hike a few easy
miles. Please bring a lunch, water, and comfortable
walking shoes. Participants should meet in the hotel
lobby at 7 AM Thursday and plan to return by 4 PM.
HOTEL REGISTRATION
To reserve your room at the Doubletree
Hotel Ontario, please call 1-800-222-TREE (8733). Be
sure to mention you are with "The Desert Tortoise
Council, " or group #DTC. Room rates per night (2/24
to 2/28) for a single or double room are $89.00 plus state
and local taxes and fees. Requests for rooms after the
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010 cut-off date will be accepted on
a space-available basis but the special group rate will
not be available. It is highly recommended that you make
your room reservation as soon as possible, as there are a
limited number of rooms (i.e. 100 for Saturday and Sunday)
being held. The hotel address is: 222 N. Vineyard Avenue,
Ontario, CA 91764.
TRANSPORTATION
FREE 24-Hour AIRPORT SHUTTLE: Ontario International
Airport Pick-Up: Courtesy Phone in Baggage Claim or call
(909) 937-0900. The airport is 1.5 miles from the hotel.
Taxi is also available for a fee.
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