California Turtle & Tortoise Club
"Dedicated to turtle & tortoise preservation, conservation, and education, since 1964."
The World's Chelonians Need Help
The world is home to about two hundred and ninety different
species of turtle and tortoise, but they are disappearing from the
wild at an ever increasing pace.
The major causes of these declines are anthropogenic (i.e., man made), and include habitat loss and degradation due to human encroachment, incidental take, and deliberate take of species for the food and pet trade. Now global climate change is adding insult to injury.
California Turtle and Tortoise Club has been active in promoting conservation of chelonians (turtles and tortoises) since it was founded in 1964. This page provides links to articles on CTTC's ongoing and historic conservation efforts and issues of concern.
Michael J. Connor
Webmaster Emeritus
CTTC Executive Board
Western Pond Turtles
- Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project successfully increases endangered population
- February 7, 2008: Good news for San Onofre State Park - the California Coastal Commission voted to deny the permit to build a toll road through the state park.
- San Onofre State Park Threatened by 6 Lane Toll Road. The Toll Road will disrupt San Mateo Creek, Home to One of Orange County's Last Populations of the Western Pond turtle.
- Western Pond Turtle habitat in Southern California
- Nine distinct populations of Loggerhead Sea Turtles now protected
- Record Number of Kemp’s Ridley Turtle Nests in Texas
- Award-winning Green Sea Turtle nesting map
- Assessment of Sea-Turtle Status and Trends: Integrating Demography and Abundance
The pdf version of this book is available as a free download.
Deepwater Horizon Disaster
- Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Network
- Daily Fish and Wildlife Report
- Daily Update from STRP
- BP and Coast Guard Halt Burning of Endangered Sea Turtles in Gulf Oil Spill Clean-Up
- NMFS is considering another exemption to the ban on longline fishing. CTTC sent a letter opposing this. Visit the Sea Turtle Restoration Project to send your letter.
- NMFS considers designating Critical Habitat for the Leatherback Sea Turtle of the coast of California
- Support the California Coastal Commission in protecting sea turtles!
- CTTC letter opposing an exemption to allow longline fishing along the California and Oregon coast in habitat for the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle
Chelonian Conservation Articles
Desert Tortoises
Gopherus Split
Desert Energy Development
Federal and state agencies are reviewing proposals for massive solar and wind power plants all over the Mojave Desert. Called "renewable" energy projects and thus "green," these projects threaten permanent large scale destruction of hundreds of thousands of acres of key desert habitat including that occupied by desert tortoise and other imperiled animals and plants.
- 01/15/11: Developers of Ivanpah Power Plant considering buying Castle Mountain mine as “mitigation”
- 09/04/10: Ivanpah tortoise undercount: officials say energy developers need better tortoise counts.
- 05/10/10: BLM Set to Approve Ivanpah Power Plant
- Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy
- BLM California Desert District Alternative Energy page
- California Desert Coalition
- Solar Done Right Coalition
- Sunrise Powerlink
- CEC - Large Solar Projects
- Go Solar - Build Your Home Plan
Desert Tortoise Recovery
- USFWS Agrees That Sonoran desert tortoise warrants Listing – but doesn't
- Sonoran Desert Tortoise Update
- 07/28/10: PEER files lawsuit to regulate hunting in Mojave National Preserve.
- 08/13/09: BLM Extends Comment Period on the Fort Irwin Tortoise Translocation EA until August 31.
- 08/06/09: Conservation groups request that BLM extend the comment period for the Draft EA for Fort Irvin Desert Tortoise Translocation by 60 days.
- 07/31/09: BLM Announces release of the Draft EA for Fort Irvin Desert Tortoise Translocation with only a 15 day comment period.
- 05/21/09: USGS Releases its Desert Tortoise Habitat Model
- 11/03/08: WWP/CTTC Comments on the Comments on the Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
- 10/29/08: Send Comments on the Draft Revised Mojave Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan
- 10-09-08 - Petition filed to list the Sonoran desert tortoise under the Endangered Species Act—Press Release—Petition
- USFWS Unveils "Draft Revised Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan" - August 1, 2008 Press Release - Direct link to Revised Plan (7.35 MB)
- Reopening of Vehicle Routes in Western Rand Mountains Appealed to Protect Desert Tortoises
- 10-09-08: Fort Irwin Suspends Desert Tortoise Translocation
- 09/15/08: Proposed Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base (MCAGCC) Expansion (pdf)
- CBD Files Lawsuit To "Stop Disastrous Army Relocation Project From Killing More Desert Tortoises"
- 05/20/08: Western Watersheds Project letter to USFWS on the Fort Irwin Tortoise Translocation (pdf)
- 05/18/08: Relocated desert tortoises attacked by coyotes
- Desert Tortoise translocation may cause more harm than good
- Comments on the Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan "Stakeholders Review Draft" from Western Watersheds Project (pdf)
- Revising the Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan - "USFWS - Stakeholders Review Draft"
- Northern and Eastern Colorado Desert Plan
- Desert Planning Efforts - West Mojave Plan
- Desert Tortoise Status and Critical Habitat
- Compensation for the Desert Tortoise - Management Oversight Group - 1991
Click to join the Tortoise Consortium list for updates on desert tortoise conservation.
