Mojave Desert Tortoise Recovery
Mojave Desert Tortoise Recovery supports agencies, Tribes, and conservation organizations in habitat protection, monitoring, and population augmentation to advance tortoise recovery in California.
Funder: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Due Dates: November 4, 2026 (Workshop) | December 3, 2026 (Application) | March 15, 2029 (Completion and final invoice)
Funding Amounts: $2 million total funding; grant-funded work must be completed by March 15, 2029
Summary: Supports projects producing measurable, near-term progress toward Mojave Desert tortoise recovery in California.
Key Information: Projects should be within the species’ California range and recovery units, with outcomes reportable within the grant period.
Description
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) offers this funding to develop or enhance recovery of the Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). The program prioritizes actions with a strong evidence base that can produce measurable, near-term progress and report outcomes within the grant period. Funding comes from a $2 million General Fund allocation under Senate Bill 111.
Supported work includes habitat connectivity and road-crossing protection, cumulative-impact monitoring and data infrastructure, habitat improvement in landscapes affected by adjacent development, and population augmentation. These efforts address a species whose population declines have been driven by habitat loss and fragmentation, disease, and predation.
