Desert Tortoise Reserve – St. George
Desert Tortoise
In the 1990’s government officials determined that it would be important to set aside some land to protect the Mojave Desert Tortoise. Years of work brought about the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve on the northern edge of the city of St. George, Utah.
This 62,000 acre reserve was specifically created to give the Mjoave Desert Tortoise some protection from diseases that were affecting other tortoises in the desert southwest. At the time of the creation of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve the desert tortoises in this area were generally unaffected by an upper respiratory tract disease (URDT). In recent years the tortoises in this area have also had some troubles with this disease. Tortoises in this region live in small underground burrows during very hot or very cold months and spend spring and fall outside of the burrows feeding on plant growth. Other reptiles found in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve are the Gila monster, sidewinder rattlesnake and checkwalla.
In the 1990’s government officials determined that it would be important to set aside some land to protect the Mojave Desert Tortoise. Years of work brought about the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve on the northern edge of the city of St. George, Utah. This 62,000 acre reserve was specifically created to give the Mjoave Desert Tortoise some protection from diseases that were affecting other tortoises in the desert southwest.
At the time of the creation of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve the desert tortoises in this area were generally unaffected by an upper respiratory tract disease (URDT). In recent years the tortoises in this area have also had some troubles with this disease. Tortoises in this region live in small underground burrows during very hot or very cold months and spend spring and fall outside of the burrows feeding on plant growth. Other reptiles found in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve are the Gila monster, sidewinder rattlesnake and checkwalla.