operation tortoise trippin’ I
t’s no secret, we here at the Tortoise Telegraph love our desert tortoises. They’re ancient and awesome and they belong here in the desert a whole lot more than we do, though some of us are growing pretty thick shells ourselves, the longer we live in their neighborhood. But the desert tortoise is also very much in danger. They are listed as “threatened,” which is one step below endangered. They’re on both the state and federal Endangered Species lists. And despite their legitimate long term claim to the land, people just keep pushing them around. This April, the Marine Corps, who need vast swaths of land to train with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-sized forces, desert warfare continuing to be immensely popular in some parts of the world, relocated around 1,000 desert tortoises from a large chunk of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area to new homes, presumably all those abandoned housing tracts out near Adelanto that have been vacant since the real estate crash of 2008. Wherever they’re being relocated, tortoise relocation is a very serious, and dangerous (for the tortoises) business. Data on tortoise relocation is enough to give pause to any tortoise fans out there, as it indicates mortality can be high, and we’re really, really tired of seeing dead tortoises scattered around the desert. But relocating them is probably somewhat safer than leaving them to be bombed, shelled, and ground into the Mojave sands around Johnson Valley. And to be fair, the Marines at the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms are working with a host of qualified, experienced tortoise trippers, and even runs the Tortoise Research and Captive Rearing Site, so while we’re nervous, we’re also grateful the Marines have been, and continue to be, dedicated to caring for our fine shelled friends. Desert tortoises have survived for somewhere between 15 and 20 million years. It’s only recently that they’ve faced so many challenges that the prospect of their survival has come into question. We wish our friends all the best in their new homes. Stay safe!
In this issue: desert tortoises moved to adelanto instead of getting bombed by marines - most say they would have preferred bombs. we would have. artist snake jagger continues his true life story in the next installment of becoming snake jagger
Photos by Cpl. Medina Ayala-Lo, United states marine corps.
alien art invasion lands in sleepy joshua tree take us to your leader - scott doten! more alien art lands at art queen - what’s new? and where are the dildos? Randy Polumbo knows. events to read about while you’re stuck in line waiting to get into the national park happy 100th birthday lou! We love your music and your legacy here in joshua tree! thanks eva! thanks for not inviting us over, lorde. you’re as bad as paul and putin. Keep it real: help stop vandalism and theft in our national parks - put the NPS tipline# in your cell phone: 888-653-0009
there’s more Tortoise online! www.jttortoisetelegraph.com 1