Aimed at joining the Tucson Herpetological Society and Desert Museum’s Breeding program for Desert Tortoises, this project was developed to transform a normal bland backyard into a thriving habitat for captive raised tortoises. The Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, is a vulnerable species throughout its range in the southern United States. In the state of Arizona captive breeding programs sanctioned by the Arizona Game and Fish Department were created to assist with the transfer of unwanted or surplus captive desert tortoises to trained private residences.
The goal of this project is to make the backyard a tortoise sanctuary by adding natural vegetation and breaking up the gravel lot that the yard currently consists of. The project site is 45 feet by 45 feet, meeting the requirements of the Desert Tortoise Adoption Program’s checklist of necessary qualifications. Several plants including palo verdes already shade the yard in addition to shrubs that have been neglected over the years. Removing the formal plantings and making the yard more natural is one of the main goals for the project highlighted below.
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