As monsoon rains bring much needed water to Arizona's deserts, you may notice some of the state's beloved shell-backed reptiles on the move. State wildlife officials have a message for those who may ...

These are our public lands. Protecting them should never require destroying the people who live on them, for a gesture that ...

The Trump administration rolled back the Endangered Species Act on Friday, slashing protections to the habitats of endangered ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Spotting a Mojave Desert tortoise is ...

The California Fish and Game Commission has formally recognized the Mojave desert tortoise as endangered. The designation, granted April 18, is the latest in a long series of steps to try to protect ...

NPCA has been working to expand Joshua Tree National Park and establish Chuckwalla National Monument to protect desert tortoise habitat. Here’s why an intact desert landscape matters for the tortoise ...

The Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would ease permitting for projects that could harm the threatened species in an area with significant development possibilities. A long-awaited conservation plan ...

Desert tortoises have lived in the deserts of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah since the Pleistocene. In the early years of the 20th century, they still thrived within the Southwest's arid ...

Spotting a Mojave Desert tortoise is increasingly difficult in the American Southwest. The tortoises, with their unmistakable domed patterned shells, live in California, parts of Nevada, Arizona and ...