The Desert Tortoise Council is pleased to announce the 48th Annual Meeting and Symposium, which will be a hybrid event (both in-person and virtual attendance options) that will be held at the Dixie Center in Saint George, Utah, in February 2023. Please reserve these dates!
On February 22, the DTC will offer field trips hosted by Pete Woodman and Ann McLuckie to Utah’s beautiful red-rock country and elsewhere.
Also on February 22, we are planning to have a pre-conference mixer to welcome everyone back to an in-person event.
The Symposium will be held from February 23 through 25 and will include keynote, invited, and featured speakers and contributed papers and posters. The program will be exciting, challenging, and full of new information!
Details about registration, host hotel, field trips, and pre-conference mixer will be provided shortly.
Become a member or renew your membership for discounts on our annual symposiums.
47th Annual Desert Tortoise Council Symposium (Virtual)
The symposium was held in February of 2022 and was a great success!
The Desert Tortoise Council teamed up with the Turtle Survival Alliance to organize and implement the virtual 47th Annual Desert Tortoise Council Symposium in February 2022. We are very fortunate to have teamed up with the Turtle Survival Alliance and their experts for the event.
The 47th Annual Symposium had several plenary speakers, multiple sessions on focused topics, student paper awards, and a poster session managed separately on our web site with opportunities to question poster presenters.
In addition to the sessions, the Symposium included the Annual Photo Contest and raffles following each break.
Annual Business Meeting
The Annual Business Meeting of the Desert Tortoise Council was be held in a virtual format, in conjunction with the 47th Annual Symposium. All Council members and guests were invited to attend the Business Meeting. The Board of Directors provided a summary of accomplishments over the past year, and reported on the financial status of the organization. There was also an election of officers. In addition, the Board of Directors recommended several revisions to the Bylaws to be voted on by the general membership (all Council members in good standing were eligible to vote regardless of whether or not they had registered for the symposium).
Sponsors & Partners
Please consider sponsoring the annual Symposium of the Desert Tortoise Council. These one-time donation go directly to defraying the costs of the respective Annual Symposium. For additional information on sponsorship levels and to download the sponsorship form, please click the button below.
Thank you for your support!
Photo Contest
The Desert Tortoise Council is pleased to present the winners of the 2022 Photo Contest, held as part of our virtual symposium. Each year we encourage our membership to submit their best wildlife and nature photographs for a chance to win cash prizes, as well as to aid the Desert Tortoise Council in educating the public and advocating desert conservation through photography. Prizes are awarded and all registered attendees are be able to vote online for their favorites.
Awards
The Awards Committee is responsible for recognizing individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the conservation and/or knowledge of desert tortoises and their habitat, or to achieving the goal and objectives of the Desert Tortoise Council. We consider several awards at our annual symposia.
Best Student Paper
The Desert Tortoise Council Awards Committee presents the Best Student Paper Award at the close of each Annual Symposium. A presenter must give notice to the Program Chair of his/her student status at the time the Abstract is received. The Best Student Paper Award notice accompanies the Call for Papers.
Symposium Raffle
Our symposiums include a set of raffles that serve as a fundraiser so the Council can continue to expand its conservation efforts for the tortoise. The raffle is only open to those who register for the Symposium. Raffle tickets can be purchased during the Symposium registration process, and a link to purchase raffle tickets will also be sent to registrants via email. Raffle prizes include E-Gift Cards for field equipment and other items, and raffle winners will be drawn multiple times during each day of the symposium.
Past Proceedings & Abstracts
Our 47th Annual Desert Tortoise Council Symposium took was a great success. Click below to download symposium abstracts from this and all previous years.