Chamber hears about reserve
BOB HUDSON
bhudson@thespectrum.com

ST. GEORGE - Back in the early 1990s, federal wildlife officials listed the Mojave Desert tortoise as a threatened species.

"With the stroke of a pen, things changed dramatically for this county," Tom Webster told members of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.

By 1994 wildlife officials had identified 129,000 acres of Washington County as critical habitat for the creature. In 1996 county officials put together a Habitat Conservation Plan, which created the 62,000-acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

Webster, the Reserve's community outreach coordinator, noted that although growth was exponential during that time, most of the projections for the county's population by 2010 fell short. He said the state projected 101,000 while the Five County Association of Governments projected 80,000. Officials of the Washington County Water Conservancy District projected 138,000.
"Our population has already exceeded 140,000," Webster said. He noted that Washington County Commissioner James Eardley recently used a number in excess of 160,000.

The Reserve stretches from Kayenta on the west to Hurricane and Leeds on the east. The HCP is a collaborative effort of the cities of Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George, Washington City, Hurricane, Rockville and Springdale.

In addition to protecting the tortoise, Webster said, "there's a lot of human benefit out of having a reserve here."

Despite the Reserve, the desert tortoise is struggling to survive. Webster said biologists have estimated there are between 2,000 and 2,400 in the 100 square miles of the reserve.

Among the uses of the reserve are camping, hiking, bicycling and horseback riding. Included are 130 miles of trails.

"The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve represents a quality of life," Webster said. He noted that the biggest dangers to the tortoise and other wildlife found in the reserve are fire and man.

Among the ways to help keep the reserve available for all to use, Webster said, are to stay on trails, keep dogs on their leashes, collect litter, enjoy the wildlife at a distance, leave what you find and use caution around the animal burrows.

"With 130 miles of trails, we're hoping you're going to find something to do without wandering off (the designated trails)," Webster said.

Following the presentation insurance professional Doug Labrum said, "I think it's a good deal. We have expanded so fast that having a reserve set aside for something is a good idea."

Information of the reserve is available at www.redcliffsdesertreserve.com