Fort Irwin earmarks $6.9M for desert tortoise relocation

FORT IRWIN - The Army has awarded a five-year, $6.9 million contract to relocate desert tortoises in the Mojave Desert.

The contractor, ITS Corp. will locate, track, capture, translocate and study the estimated 700 to 1,000 threatened desert tortoises that currently live on part of the U.S. Army's National Training Center Ft. Irwin, according to a statement from the company. That equates to an average of $6,900 per tortoise.

Because of the large number of desert tortoises involved and the size of the NTC expansion site -- which covers 24,000 acres in the Mojave Desert - - the Fort Irwin translocation will be the largest project of its kind ever undertaken, according to ITS.

In addition to finding, tracking and relocating the desert tortoises, the company will monitor the tortoises for the duration of the contract, including after their movement to assigned translocation sites. The ITS team will research the effects of translocation on the tortoises' reproduction and nutrition to help determine the best methods for relocating these long-lived desert vegetarians.

"The desert tortoise translocation project is a great example of the Army's dedication to minimizing its impact on threatened or endangered wildlife, and ITS has the breadth and depth of experience to make this project a reality," said Dr. Jonathon Belmont, ITS' scientific, environmental and engineering director of environmental programs.

Desert tortoises, native to the Mojave, are important members of the desert ecosystem, ITS said in a statement. They primarily eat spring annual plants and get most of their water from infrequent desert rainfall. They survive in their harsh environment by storing food and water and taking shelter underground.