Pima County is looking for information to improve its model of potentially suitable habitat for the Sonoran desert tortoise. Of particular interest are observations of live or dead tortoises in the foothills of the Tortolita and Santa Rita Mountains. Observations will be used to refine the assumptions of the habitat model.
 
If you are willing to contribute your tortoise observations to a publically accessible website, please review the step-by-step instructions: http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/index.html. If you would prefer your data not be posted on the website, please email Neva Connolly at Conservation@pima.gov. It is critical that observers know the difference between the desert tortoise and other turtles of the region. To aid in identification, please visit the Reptiles of Arizona websites (http://www.reptilesofaz.org/herp-turtle.html). In addition, observers are asked to not handle or collect tortoises or turtles for this study; simple visual observations (made from a distance) will suffice.