CULPRITS IN THE PLIGHT OF THE MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISE
The Highest Known Tortoise Densities Have Historically Been Found In Areas Where Cattle Are Present
The state of the Mojave Desert Tortoise is at the heart of long-standing environmental and legal battles, pitting environmental groups against ranchers and federal land managers. The central question remains: What is driving the tortoise's "long-term decline" or potential extinction?
THE ARGUMENT AGAINST GRAZING
According to a September 2023 report from the Las Vegas Sun (Casey Harrison • Sep 17, 2023), The Western Watersheds Project argues that the main culprit is unchecked trespass livestock grazing.
The group had filed a lawsuit, naming Clark County and others, claiming a failure to protect the tortoise from habitat destruction on federal lands in Southern Nevada.
They point to notable rancher Cliven Bundy as partially responsible for the illegal grazing that they say has decimated the population.
https://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2023/sep/17/federal-lawsuit-names-clark-county-among-culprits
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
This environmentalist claim is challenged by earlier research on the coexistence of the species. An academic paper titled The Desert Tortoise in Relation to Cattle (V Bostick • 1990) presents a different view, noting that desert tortoises have coexisted with cattle for centuries—specifically, 300 years in California and Mexico, and at least 100 years in other regions.
The study even states that the highest known tortoise densities have historically been found in areas where cattle are present.
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/rangelands/article/viewFile/10776/10049
Vincent Easley II
RealLibertyMedia.com