2020 Introduction to Desert Tortoises and Field Techniques

Due to the risks presented by the Covid-19 situation, the Council will not offer an in-person, on-site introductory course in 2020. However, the Council still wants to provide a training opportunity to those who are interested in learning about the Mojave Desert Tortoise. We are currently in the planning stages for an online lecture course, most likely using a video platform such as Zoom, in late October or early November of 2020.

The date(s) and time(s) for the course will be determined soon. Currently, the course materials are being developed and the cost of the online course will be determined.  We will post more information as soon as we can.

2021 46th Annual Symposium

Due to Covid-19, the Desert Tortoise Council will not hold public gatherings until public health authorities can confidently approve them.  Planning is currently underway for a virtual annual symposium in February of 2021.  Please check back soon for more details.

About the DTC

The Desert Tortoise Council was established in 1975 to promote conservation of the desert tortoise in the deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico. The Council is a non-profit organization comprised of hundreds of professionals and laypersons who share a common concern for desert tortoises in the wild and a commitment to advancing the public’s understanding of the species. Click the button below to learn more about what we do and what you can do to help!

About Desert Tortoises

The desert tortoise species are native inhabitants of several southwestern ecosystems, including the Sonoran, Colorado, and Mojave Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and tropical deciduous forests and thornscrub in northwestern Mexico. These tortoises are long-lived reptiles, as important to their ecosystems as their own environments are to them. Though the desert tortoises are well-adapted to their environments, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re unable to cope with the fast-paced and increasingly widespread and intensive changes humans have wrought on southwestern ecosystems in recent decades. Click the button below to learn more and watch a documentary about the plight of the desert tortoise.

Training Programs

Find out more about our Desert Tortoise Councile training courses, including an Introduction to Desert Tortoises & Field Techniques, Health Assessment Procedures for Translocations of the Mojave Desert Tortoise, and our Authorized Desert Tortoise Biologist Course. Click the button below to learn more about how to learn more!

Grants

Grant funding is available to researchers for appropriate projects benefiting the conservation of desert tortoises. Awards are presented in support of research that contributes to the understanding, management and conservation of tortoises of the genus Gopherus in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Funding is available to students working with North American Gopherus tortoises for assistance with their travel costs to attend and participate at future Desert Tortoise Council Symposia.