 The Mojave Desert, one of the hottest, driest, and most barren deserts of North America. Webster's Dictionary wants to find desert as a desolate and forbidding prospect. But on the contrary, the Mojave Desert is a fragile place, where a variety of plants and animals unique to this territory are commonly found. The state of the desert tortoise, however, perhaps best of all, represents the delicate balance of desert life and its interaction with man and nature. The desert tortoise can be found in the western portion of Arizona, southeastern California, and a small area of southern Nevada, Utah, and Mexico. The tortoise family has been in existence for 175 million years. But a mere century or so of living with humans may be proving too much for them. Tortoises living in the Mojave Desert are generally found below the 4,000-foot level in Joshua Tree communities, creosote bush, and salt-bush scrub habitats. The burrows in which they live protect them from the extreme temperatures found in the desert environment. The half-moon-like appearance corresponds to the shape of their shells and can be anywhere from 6 inches to 30 feet in depth. With the rebirth of spring, they emerge from their burrows when the climate brings warmth and a feast of new annual plants and wildflowers. In the wild, desert tortoises can survive 70 years or more and grow to over 1 foot in diameter. Reproduction of the tortoises doesn't begin until 15 to 20 years of age. The female lays between 1 and 15 eggs and then abandons the nest. These small hatchlings are born approximately 90 days later with very soft shells that will not become completely hardened for about 5 or 6 years. It is during this relatively defenseless stage that they fall prey to many animals. Consequently, their slow reproductive cycle, delicate early years, and destruction of their habitat make it difficult to save this frail species. In 1990, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the desert tortoise as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This listing was prompted by severe population declines caused by the loss of habitat from off-road vehicles, agriculture, grazing animals, and urbanization destroying their burrows and food supply. People collecting these interesting creatures as pets, exposing them to numerous diseases, and predation by ravens, coyotes, and badgers are leading to their potential demise. Since the early 19th century, urban development has been deteriorating the desert tortoise habitat. Urbanization is expanding into regions of desert that the tortoises used to call home. Since tortoises don't venture far from their original territory, they are not likely to survive if relocated to areas adjacent to developed regions. Once their home is destroyed, they too could perish. And while progress is an undeniable part of our existence, we still need to be aware of our desert ecosystem and the impact we are creating. Urban crews are being urged to watch out for the desert tortoise and other wildlife. Before any construction project begins, a biological assessment is made in which areas to avoid are highlighted with ribbons and sometimes fencing. Crews are asked to limit the amount of disturbance within their project area, check in trenches and holes for any animals that might have fallen in, look under their vehicles for tortoises that like to escape from the sun, and discard all trash to keep predators away. If a tortoise is spotted, the project supervisor and a wildlife biologist must be notified immediately. If a tortoise is killed, accidentally or otherwise, the project could be delayed. Following these simple guidelines could aid in saving a multi-million dollar project and an entire species from extinction. Agriculture has also stripped away vast areas of desert environment. And grazing livestock are competing with the tortoises' food supply by feasting on the same annual plants. The raven, a species common to the Mojave Desert, has become a major predator of the tortoise. Over the past 40 years, the raven population has grown in response to urbanization and increased feeding opportunities at landfills. Many perceive the desert to be indestructible. However, the increasing popularity for desert recreation has proven to be devastating. For a tortoise, while you're out hiking in the desert, we urge you to take the opportunity to watch a really unique animal in its natural environment, watch what it does, as it feeds, as it seeks shelter, maybe even makes a nest or mates. We would advise you to stay back and not interfere with the tortoise's life pattern. Certainly, we urge you not to pick it up or harass it in any way. These animals are very delicate and even though they're hearty in the sense of being able to live in the desert, they don't do well when handled. If you do happen to come across a tortoise that appears to be in immediate danger like this one, approach slowly from the front. Note the direction in which it is moving. Gently pick it up, placing your hand under the belly for support. And be careful not to jostle or turn it over. When approximately 100 feet off the road in a shaded area, place the tortoise in the same direction it was moving. Protecting the desert tortoise and all life in the ecosystem from extinction is a responsibility we all must share. Developing an awareness of the various forms of life and existence is perhaps the first step in this conservation effort. Biological research has indicated that ecosystems can maintain themselves if we preserve them as complex systems. This means all the parts of the system, whether plant or animal, are interconnected and must be preserved in order to survive. The desert tortoise is only one animal in the desert. However, its burrows provide habitat for other species. It's been here a lot longer than the human race has probably dating back to the age of the dinosaurs. It's an indicator that the health of the system is suffering when we see declines in an animal like this. As we gain more insight into this diverse biological world we live in, we also have the responsibility to preserve it. Progress and technology have advanced the human race to limitless capabilities. But imagine if we started taking parts out of today's highly complex aircraft. Take away one part too many and the aircraft is destroyed and the mission lost. So too with our environment. If one part is missing, like the desert tortoise, then our mission of maintaining a healthy environment may be lost. It is not too late if we all do our part in maintaining this delicate balance. As we continue to explore the unknown, our quest for knowledge need not interfere with this miraculous web of life.