Current Projects

In Spring 2025, the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee (DTPC) partnered with Elaphos Environmental LLC to initiate Phase 1 of biological monitoring along Harper Lake Road—a critical corridor located in the western Mojave Desert. This project builds on DTPC’s long-standing commitment to protect desert tortoise habitat, including the historic 2003 installation of the region’s first purpose-built tortoise crossing culvert beneath Harper Lake Road.

Elaphos Environmental was contracted under an IDIQ agreement with DTPC to assess current habitat conditions, document wildlife presence, and evaluate road-related disturbances along the corridor. The team conducted systematic pedestrian surveys on both sides of Harper Lake Road, focusing on habitat quality, signs of wildlife activity, and the integrity of desert tortoise fencing in an area known for prime saltbush scrub habitat and long-term conservation investments.

Biologists recorded multiple wildlife observations, including antelope ground squirrels, jackrabbits, and native bird species, while also documenting anthropogenic impacts such as erosion, vehicle encroachment, and unauthorized access. These findings were spatially referenced using GPS and photo documentation and compiled into a report with recommendations for road-edge restoration, access control, and future survey efforts.

This first phase of monitoring supports DTPC’s vision to maintain the biological connectivity first addressed by the 2003 culvert construction and fencing initiative. Elaphos Environmental’s work contributes to a larger, adaptive management strategy to evaluate wildlife movement, habitat condition, and conservation effectiveness along Harper Lake Road—a corridor central to DTPC’s habitat stewardship legacy in San Bernardino County.