Photo credit: CA Group

The Coyote Springs Tortoise Crossings is a proposed project to install desert tortoise exclusionary fencing and under-crossings along U.S. 93 near Coyote Springs in Clark and Lincoln counties.

Its aim is to improve safety for motorists using the road and to eliminate road mortality of the Mojave desert tortoise along this stretch of highway. This portion of U.S. 93 is the last section of Mojave desert tortoise critical habitat to remain unfenced in Nevada. Installing tortoise crossings and associated tortoise exclusionary fencing is an important step in stabilizing the population and promoting connectivity.

This proposed project has been a goal of the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for many years. Project implementation is contingent upon funding acquisition.

• Location: Southern Nevada, U.S. Highway 93
  • Mileposts: 75.24 in Clark County to 23 in Lincoln County
  • Total distance: 34 miles
  • Site location: Within the Mormon Mesa Desert Tortoise Critical Habitat Unit, which is considered critical to the survival of the species.
• Target users: Mojave desert tortoise
• Other users: Coyotes, kit foxes, gray foxes, badgers, bobcats, skunks, kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, pack rats, ground squirrels, lizards, snakes, ringtails, and arthropods
• Number of crossings: 61
• Miles of fencing: 68
  • This fencing will protect the last unfenced critical habitat unit in Nevada.

Photo credit: NDOT

The Mojave desert tortoise is listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This species of desert tortoise, which is found north and west of the Colorado River, has been declining for decades due to habitat loss and fragmentation, disease, and predation. Highways through desert tortoise habitat contribute to habitat fragmentation, as well as mortality when tortoises attempt to cross roads. This proposed project aims to improve safety and advance conservation and recovery efforts for the Mojave desert tortoise through the following:

Tortoise and Human Safety

• Protect human life and property.
  • Tortoise fencing reduces motor vehicle accidents that can result in human injury, loss of life, and property damage when drivers try to avoid collisions with desert tortoises and other wildlife.
  •  Tortoise fencing will decrease the chance of human death or injury by eliminating motorists from stopping to help tortoises cross the road.

• Protect tortoise life.
  • Properly installed and maintained tortoise fencing all but eliminates tortoise-vehicle collisions that cause tortoise injury or mortality.
• Prevent tortoise suffering.
  • Tortoises hit by a vehicle often don’t perish immediately. Due to their slow metabolism, they can live for several days, severely injured, before succumbing to blood loss or hyperthermia.

Tortoise Population Protection and Stabilization

• Limit road mortality.
  • Properly installed and maintained tortoise fencing all but eliminates road mortality for desert tortoises.
• Stabilize population.
  • Fenced roads help tortoise populations achieve a stable population expansion rate by reducing road mortality and increasing the area near roadways that tortoises can safely use.
• Reduce inbreeding.
  • Tortoise crossings under highways help facilitate genetic connectivity, reducing the likelihood of inbreeding depression in the future.
• Improve climate change adaptability.
  • Should the desert tortoise need to adjust its habitat, roadway crossings provide connectivity to other areas. Successful road crossing increases the desert tortoise’s overall survivability.

Nevada Environmental Stewardship

• Enhance and restore the state’s diverse ecosystems.
  • Tortoise fencing and crossings promote healthy, abundant wildlife and a resilient, productive landscape for all Nevadans.
• Promote collaboration and partnerships with others.
  • This proposed project has involved collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
  • A successful project will lead to more collaborations in the future.

Photo credit: NDOT

NDOT is currently pursuing funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program for 2024.

WCPP Application Resources

• Coyote Springs 2024 WCPP Project Abstract
• Coyote Springs 2024 WCPP Project Narrative
• Appendix 1 Letters of Support
• Appendix 2 Cost Estimate and Funding Commitment Letters
• Appendix 3 Planning Documents Combined
• Appendix 4 Research Studies Combined
• Appendix 5 Public Outreach Plan