St. Louis
Herpetoiogic
Inside
! The Few, the Proud, the Tortoises: Marines Protect Endangered Speciesj An Army of Biologists Are on Nature Patrol at Military Bases;
Presidents spot Meettn^dates
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Next Meetings Minute's New series about veftompus snakes Rat eradication in The Galapagos Rats cont. St. Louis Reptile Show Classified ajp? ^ ^ Board members
Martin Husung, a natural-resource specialist on the base. "A lot of people think we're just running over things."
In their desert warfare training, U.S. Marines sometimes encounter shells of a different nature— 4 the desert tortoise. It's one of the species pro- Instead, Mr. Henen often hustles out to remote parts tected under the Department of Defense's con- of the Mojave Desert to make sure the threatened desert tortoise, which can weigh 10 pounds and live servation program. WSJ's Ben Kesling reports. • S\ to be more than 50 years old, isn't frightened by TWENTYN1NE PALMS, Calif.—U.S. Marines are charging troops. taught to overcome obstacles with a minimum of "When they get scared, they pee themselves," Mr. help. But when some Marines prepared to charge a hill in a training exercise here a few months ago, they Henen said, referring to the tortoises. Since tortoises can go two years between drinks of water, an unwere forced to halt and radio the one man who could help them advance: Brian Henen, turtle expert. planned micturition can cause dehydration and even death. So Mr. Henen sometimes demonstrates to | The troops were "running up the hill and firing at troops how he soaks the reptiles in a pool until they targets," Mr. Henen said. "Some of the tortoises like drink enough water to plod on with their lives. ' the hill also. The Marines don't want to hurt the The tortoise isn't the only animal benefiting from the | tortoise, so they call us and we go in and move it." limited hunting, high security and trained biologists I Mr. Henen, who has a doctorate in biology, is part of on many bases. On the Navy's San Clemente Island, ; a little-known army of biologists and other scientists biologists protect vulnerable loggerhead shrikes from '•>j who manage the Mojave desert tortoise and about hungry rats by installing metal "rat flashings" at the base of trees the birds nest in. In Texas, the Army •:\0 other threatened and endangered species on creates protective nesting environments for endani about 28 million acres of federally managed military gered golden-cheeked warblers to fend off incursions land, \y BEN KESLING. Wall Street journal by brown-headed cowbirds. "There's a lot of people who don't recognize the amount of conservation the Marine Corps does," said Continued on Page 3