Restoration of Bolson Tortoises in the Southwestern United States:

A Plan for Conservation and Education

Collaborators:This project involves multiple collaborators; initiated by the Turner Endangered Species Fund.

Since 2004 the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) and the managers of the Ladder and Armendaris ranches in New Mexico have been investigating the feasibility of repatriating Bolson tortoises (Gopherus flavomarginatus) to appropriate habitat in New Mexico. The idea was first suggested by managers of the Appleton Ranch in Arizona, which has maintained a captive population of this species for several decades. The effort would be the beginning of a long-term project to re-establish the Bolson tortoise in the U.S., despite its extirpation several thousand years ago. The project gained national attention after the "Re-Wilding America"� article was published in Nature in 2005.

At HOGL, Taylor Edwards is using microsatellite markers to assess the diversity of the AZ captive population and will also verify the source population (in Chihuahua, Mexico) from which it originated. Taylor is a genetic adviser on the project and his efforts will inform captive breeding and reintroduction decisions.

Photo by Bob Murphy