Existing comment:
You're in Desert Tortoise Country
Keep Wild Tortoises Wild.
Tortoises build up most of their fat and water reserves in the spring, when the desert is abloom with grasses, wild flowers and other succulent green plants. They store water -- up to a year's supply -- in their canteen-like bladders, absorbing it as needed. In winter they retreat to their deepest burrows. Well-adapted as the desert tortoise is to the harsh conditions here, this ancient species id defenseless against the human population boom that has brought habitat degradation and other changes to the high desert. As a result, its numbers have sharply declined.
Welcome to the Nevada Desert, Home of the Desert Tortoise.
Desert tortoises readily cross roads and trails, but the slowmoving species is no match for bikes, cars, trucks and offhighway vehicles. Be alert and proceed with caution!
Leave them alone!
It is against the law to touch, harm, harass or collect a wild desert tortoise. When alarmed, tortoises void their bladders and waste precious stored water -- a reaction that can prove fatal for tortoises unable to replenish the supply. Stay at least 10 feet away from any tortoise you spot, and keep dogs leashed at all times. |