Authorized Desert Tortoise Biologist Training - invitation only

The Desert Tortoise Council is pleased to announce details for the Authorized Biologist Training Course in Primm, Nevada on September 11-15, 2017. 

The Training is a 4.5 day advanced course only open to those with moderate-level field experience conducting both desert tortoise surveys and construction monitoring, and is intended for those persons that are expecting to require permitting as an Authorized Biologist for an upcoming project. Information will be presented through lectures and specialized field training using live desert tortoises, and will focus on current protocols, guidelines, State and Federal permits, and regulations pertaining to the desert tortoise. 

Applicants shall meet these three criteria:

• Successful completion of the Desert Tortoise Council’s Introduction to Desert Tortoises and Field techniques, or equivalent field experience;
  
• Minimum of 280 hours conducting desert tortoise surveys; and
  
• Minimum of 280 hours conducting construction monitoring in desert tortoise habitat.
  

The cost is $2,000.00. The fee covers the course and the following meals: 4 lunches, 2 dinners, 1 breakfast, and daily snacks/beverages. It does not include travel and lodging.

This course provides desert tortoise biologists with knowledge and experience to fulfill the qualifications of an Authorized Biologist as defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Classroom instruction will focus on biosecurity, bioethics, desert tortoise biology and natural history, construction monitoring protocols, coordination and effective communication techniques with construction crews, environmental awareness training, and State and Federal permitting process and regulations.

Field instruction will including working in small groups practicing field techniques and identifying different types of sign with an experienced instructor.

All participants will process (weigh, measure, and inspect) desert tortoises. Successful graduates will need to pass a written and practical exam.

Following course completion, participants will receive a letter from the USFWS documenting proficiency in the tasks covered in the course that are necessary for approval as an Authorized Desert Tortoise Biologist, as identified in the USFWS’s Desert Tortoise Field Manual. This letter will not serve as approval to conduct these tasks on specific projects; rather, it is meant to supplement other field experience and to streamline the qualifications review and ensuing approval by the USFWS for work on future projects. The letter should be submitted in addition to a qualifications summary to the appropriate agency as necessary for future approval requests.