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What is the Desert Tortoise Council?
The Desert Tortoise Council (DTC) is a conservation organization focused on desert tortoises and their habitats. Since 1975, it has promoted science-based conservation and public education about the species' plight, according to the group's own description.
Its work centers on a few practical areas:
- Training. An introductory course and health assessment training are offered, aimed at people who work with or around desert tortoises. Registration for the 2026 introductory course is full, with a waitlist available.
- An annual symposium. The 52nd Annual Meeting & Symposium is scheduled as a hybrid event at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, February 23–26, 2027, with a field trip on February 23 and a program of plenary, invited and contributed papers and posters.
- Grants and funding. Programs include the Leeward Renewable Energy Research Grant, regular grants, Edison International funding, the Morafka Award, a student travel fund and the Allison Memorial Grant.
- A library of plans and best management practices, plus newsletters, job announcements and membership.
Who it suits: biologists, land managers, consultants, students and tortoise keepers who need guidance or training, and anyone who wants to support conservation through membership or donations.
Next step: if you are considering the training course, join the waitlist now rather than waiting for a later announcement, and check the symposium program, which the site says will be posted about 30 days before the meeting.
How do I join the Desert Tortoise Council and what are the membership benefits?
Joining the Desert Tortoise Council (DTC) is done through the "Join/Renew Membership" link on its website, Desert Tortoise Council. The site describes the organization's mission as promoting science-based conservation of desert tortoises and their habitats since 1975, and membership is framed as supporting that mission.
What membership gets you
The website's main membership-related benefit is participation in the DTC community and its activities, including:
- Annual Meeting & Symposium – A hybrid event with in-person and virtual attendance options. The 52nd Annual Meeting is announced for February 23–26, 2027, at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a field trip on February 23 and contributed papers and posters.
- Training programs – Including an Introductory Course and Health Assessment Training. The 2026 Introductory Course is listed as full, with a waitlist available.
- Grants and funding – Programs such as the Leeward Renewable Energy Research Grant, Regular Grants Program, Edison International Funding, Morafka Award, Student Travel Fund, and Allison Memorial Grant.
- Library and resources – Including Plans & Best Management Practices and past symposium proceedings and abstracts.
- News and announcements – Latest news, newsletter archive, and job announcements.
Practical next step
If you are considering joining, start with the "Join/Renew Membership" page to see current membership categories and any dues. Then decide based on your goal: a student or researcher may get the most value from the symposium, grants, and student awards; a land manager or consultant may care more about the Best Management Practices library and training courses; a general supporter may simply want to contribute to conservation and receive updates.
If you want to attend the 2027 symposium, check the membership page first, since member registration rates and abstract submission details are typically tied to membership status. For the Introductory Course, note that the 2026 session is full, so the waitlist is the practical route if that timing matters to you.
What training programs and courses does the Desert Tortoise Council offer for professionals working with desert tortoises?
The Desert Tortoise Council offers a training program aimed at professionals and others who work with desert tortoises, centered on an Introductory Training Course and a Health Assessment Training track. The site also lists an Introductory Course with registration details and waitlist information (the October–November 2026 session is described as full), so the practical path is to check the course page and join the waitlist if needed. For professionals, the value is structured, recurring instruction rather than one-off content: the course is the entry point, and the health assessment training is the more specialized option for people who need to handle or evaluate tortoise health in the field.
Beyond courses, the Council supports professional development through its Annual Meeting & Symposium, which includes contributed papers, posters, a poster session, awards, and a Best Student Paper recognition. That matters for professionals who need continuing education, networking, and current research rather than only a certificate. The site also points to Plans & Best Management Practices in its library, which is the natural follow-up for applying training to project planning, compliance, and habitat conservation work.
A useful next step: decide whether you need the general introductory course or the health assessment training, then check the training overview and registration page for the next available session and waitlist. If your goal is professional credibility or project compliance, pair the course with the symposium and the best management practices library rather than treating any single training as sufficient.
When and where is the Desert Tortoise Council's annual symposium held, and how can I register or submit research?
The Desert Tortoise Council's 52nd Annual Meeting & Symposium is scheduled for February 23–26, 2027, at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a hybrid event: you can attend in person or virtually. A field trip is planned for the day before the main meeting, on February 23. The program typically includes a plenary address, invited and featured speakers, and contributed papers and posters.
Registration and submission details are handled through the Council's site. Start at Desert Tortoise Council and look under the Annual Symposium section for registration, abstract submission, and program updates. The program is expected to be posted about 30 days before the meeting, so check back if the submission window is not yet open.
Who this suits
- Researchers and students: The contributed paper and poster sessions, plus awards such as the Best Student Paper, make this a practical venue to present work and get feedback.
- Agency and conservation staff: The location near four state boundaries and many ongoing research projects supports networking on management and policy.
- Virtual attendees: The hybrid format lets you watch talks remotely, though you miss the in-person field trip and informal networking.
Practical next step
If you plan to present, prepare your abstract early and confirm the submission deadline on the symposium page. If you only want to attend, decide between in-person and virtual based on whether the field trip and face-to-face contacts matter to your work. Registration for the separate Introductory Training Course fills quickly—the October–November 2026 session is already full with a waitlist—so treat symposium registration and training registration as separate tasks.
What grants and funding opportunities does the Desert Tortoise Council provide for desert tortoise research?
The Desert Tortoise Council lists several funding routes for desert tortoise research, aimed mainly at students, early-career researchers, and conservation practitioners working on tortoise biology, habitat, or management. From its grants and funding section, the named opportunities are:
- Leeward Renewable Energy Research Grant — a named research grant, suggesting a partnership with an energy company.
- Regular Grants Program — the Council's general research funding track.
- Edison International Funding — another named funding source.
- Morafka Award — typically an award tied to research merit or a specific research area.
- Student Travel Fund — supports students attending Council meetings or symposia.
- Allison Memorial Grant — a memorial grant, often directed at a particular research focus.
The Council also maintains a Library section with Plans & Best Management Practices, which is useful background if you are shaping a proposal around existing conservation plans.
How to decide which to pursue
If you are a student needing to present at the annual symposium, the Student Travel Fund is the most direct fit. If you have a full research project, start with the Regular Grants Program and check whether your topic aligns with the Leeward Renewable Energy Research Grant or Edison International Funding. For work connected to a specific legacy or research area, the Morafka Award or Allison Memorial Grant may be relevant.
Next step
Visit the grants and funding overview on the Council's site and read each opportunity's eligibility and deadline before preparing a proposal. You can also check the Plans & Best Management Practices library to align your research question with current conservation priorities. The Council's annual symposium and training programs are additional places to meet potential collaborators or advisors before applying.
For official details, see Desert Tortoise Council; for broader context on desert tortoise conservation and research, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service maintain species and habitat information.
How should I care for a captive desert tortoise and what laws protect them?
For a captive desert tortoise, the two things that matter most are getting the legal side right before you take one in, and then recreating a dry, burrow-friendly environment with a diet far lower in sugar and protein than most reptile keepers expect. The Desert Tortoise Council is a conservation and science organization rather than a pet-care site, but it maintains dedicated pages on captive guidance and on the laws protecting the species, which makes it a sensible starting point.
Start with the legal question
Captive desert tortoises are almost always governed by state and federal rules, and the rules differ depending on whether you live inside or outside the species' native range. In most of the southwestern United States, taking a wild tortoise home is illegal, and captive animals generally cannot be released back into the wild because of disease risks to wild populations. Many states require a permit or allow only tortoises that were already legally possessed or adopted through a sanctioned program.
Practical decision rule: if you cannot state which agency regulates captive tortoises in your state and whether you need a permit, do not accept the animal yet. Confirm that first.
Captive care basics
The Council's captive guidance is the place to check specifics, but the general shape of good care is consistent:
- Outdoor enclosure in a warm, arid climate. A secure yard with sun and shade, a shallow burrow or artificial den, and walls dug deep enough to prevent escape. Tortoises are strong diggers and capable climbers.
- Diet dominated by grasses and leafy desert plants. Natural grazing on appropriate grasses and weeds, with a calcium supplement. Avoid fruit, dog or cat food, and high-protein vegetables; these cause shell deformities and kidney problems.
- Water. A shallow dish they can walk into, kept clean. Hatchlings and juveniles dehydrate faster than adults.
- Hibernation (brumation). Healthy adults in suitable climates typically brumate over winter; this needs planning, not guesswork.
- Veterinary care from an experienced reptile vet. Respiratory disease and bladder stones are common problems.
- Long-term commitment. These animals can live for decades, so plan for what happens to the tortoise if your circumstances change.
Where the Council's resources help
- Desert Tortoise Council — the captive guidance pages, the laws and protections pages, and a library of plans and best management practices. Membership and symposium registration are aimed at researchers, land managers and conservation professionals, though the public-facing pages are useful to keepers.
- Arizona Game and Fish Department — permit and possession rules for Arizona.
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife — California's rules, where the desert tortoise is a fully protected species.
- National Park Service — reminders that removing tortoises from protected lands is prohibited.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — federal listing and recovery information for the Mojave and Sonoran populations.
A useful next step
Contact your state wildlife agency's reptile or nongame program and ask two questions: is possession legal where I live, and what permit or adoption paperwork is required? Then use the Council's captive guidance to build the enclosure and diet around the answer. If you want to support conservation without keeping an animal, the Council's membership and donation options go toward habitat work rather than pet keeping.
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