Smart phones have increasingly become valuable tools in the conservation of rare species around the world. Mojave Desert Tortoise, a free app on the iTunes store, encourages iPhone users to take photos of any desert tortoises they happen to come across in the Mojave Desert. The app adds GPS data to the photo and sends it to researchers at theMojave Desert Ecosystem Program (MDEP) and Desert Managers Group. The information will then be used to track the tortoises’s movement and habits.
You can download the app at iTunes or Android Market.
I took a photo of a Desert Tortoise this past Mother’s Day in Joshua Tree National Park, which happens to be within walking distance from my home. After showing the picture to a few friends that are long time residents of Twentynine Palms and a professor at CMC, I was amazed that the Tortoise I photographed was probably about 60 years old. I have only lived here three years and this was my first sighting of one in it’s natural habitat. Totally Awesome!!!!