They can be so elusive that even some longtime locals haven’t seen one in the wild – nevertheless the desert tortoise endures as one of the most iconic native species in the Mojave Desert.
The slow-but sturdy desert tortoise can live up to 95% of their lives in burrows underground – sheltering from the hot sun in the daytime and keeping warm when the temperature drops during winter. The desert tortoise is California’s state reptile and has been on earth an estimated 15 to 20 million years – however their population is on the decline due to climate change and habitat loss.
The fourth annual Desert Tortoise week started yesterday and its holding events to raise awareness of the threatened California native and what can be done to protect them and their habitat. – There are two events in Joshua Tree National Park:
- On Tuesday Oct. 4th from 10am to 3pm at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center in 29 Palms – you can bring the kids to the appropriately named tortoise table for fun, games and tortoise facts!
- Then on Thursday evening at 7:30 at the Indian Cove Campground Amphitheatre. you can join a park ranger for a 45 minute presentation on the desert tortoise and the conservation efforts around the famous desert-denizen.
