ST. GEORGE — New tortoise crossings may be coming to St. George — a potential boon for one of Washington County’s most visible species.

Last Tuesday, the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan’s Advisory Committee voted to take the next steps necessary to install culverts on Cottonwood Springs Road. These would allow threatened Mojave desert tortoises to cross the street safely, reducing the chances of fatalities and increasing population connectivity.

The plan’s technical committee recommended seven potential culvert locations, ranking them as low, medium or high priority, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Biologist Mike Schijf said.

With feedback from the advisory committee, the group will move forward with obtaining cost estimates to determine which areas will be the most viable for engineering. How many are built will depend on the project’s cost, Schijf said.

“It’s unlikely that each of these will actually be built, but this gives us several options as some may not end up being feasible,” he said.

The technical committee visited each area in early June to assess them on the ground. Each location was chosen for various characteristics, such as topography, tortoise density and access to quality habitat, Schijf said.

For instance, a spot near the Black Knolls Trail was chosen for its proximity to the expansive habitat to the East and West. Another was identified near the water tank due to its natural wash and tortoise density.

The Northern Corridor Highway, if built, would cross through one of these locations.  A tortoise passage could be included in the design if the project continues, pending its controversial court case.

The tortoise crossing project doesn’t have a set timeline and could be “a ways down the road,” Schijf said, adding that the eventual culvert designs and other considerations will likely be based on what they learned studying the crossings built on Red Hills Parkway.

Additionally, should the passages become a reality, Red Cliffs plans to install cameras to track how long it takes for the reptiles to learn to use them and collect other data.

The budget for the project is currently $150,000, but conservation plan administrators could apply for additional funds through grants, Red Cliffs Administrator Cameron Rognan said.

However, the funding was negotiated as part of the “changed circumstance clause” in the Habitat Conservation Plan to mitigate the potential impact created by the Northern Corridor’s approval, and it may be revoked or renegotiated due to the ongoing lawsuit, Red Cliffs Outreach Coordinator Ammon Teare told St. George News.

This raised concerns for Washington County resident and former Bureau of Land Management employee Richard Spotts, who said in an email that if the county reneges on its support of the tortoise culverts, the conservation plan should consider seeking funds via the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act, which includes allocations for wildlife crossings.

“I think that consideration of these culverts is long overdue as they are clearly necessary,” he said. “Climate change, drought, cheatgrass, extreme heat events, and severe wildfires combine to increase environmental stresses on tortoises. Tortoises need maximum flexibility to be able to move around to better adapt to those stresses and to maintain habitat connectivity and genetic health. In my mind, the sooner these culverts are installed, the better.”

How do road crossings benefit tortoises?

While it’s unclear how long it would take tortoises to learn to use the culverts, evidence gathered at crossings installed on Red Hills Parkway indicates that nearby animals have learned to use them and do so frequently, Schijf said

The “downside” of tortoise fencing is that it bisects their environment, creating habitat fragments, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Tortoise Biologist Ann McLuckie told St. George News. This can increase genetic differences between populations located on either side of the road as they are unable to share genetic material.

The project would expand the reptile’s habitat, allowing freer movement and improving gene flow between populations, Schijf said.

“From a genetic standpoint, especially in the long run, it does help with the long-term viability of tortoise populations if you can open up a larger swath of habitat to allow tortoises to move back and forth,” he said.

Additionally, while the tortoise fence is an effective barrier, some determined individuals pace the border, attempting to cross and sometimes finding their way “onto the road and in harm’s way,” Schijf said.

However, culverts allow the threatened animals to cross safely, reducing this behavior and the chances that an industrious reptile becomes roadkill after successfully locating a weak spot in the fence.

Still, tortoise fatality on Cottonwood Springs Road is rare, McLuckie said. Before the fence’s installation, between 1994-99, there were approximately 11 tortoise deaths on the road, as reported anecdotally. In the 22 years since, about four tortoises were hit by vehicles in the fenced areas, with an additional two tortoises run over where there is currently no barrier.

These incidents occur despite fencing as tortoises are “expert diggers” and deceptively good climbers, sometimes using bushes to hop the fence, McLuckie said.

Additionally, the barrier requires consistent maintenance, which can be a challenge. Various partners monitor the fence for holes and signs of erosion. If an individual notices fencing that is damaged or finds a tortoise on the roadway or otherwise in danger, they can report the location to the Urban Wildlife Hotline.

“We will respond as quickly as we can to get that tortoise out of harm’s way,” McLuckie said.

Additionally, Schijf said that while it is illegal to pick up or harass Mojave desert tortoises under regular circumstances, this does not apply to those in harm’s way.

“If it finds itself in a roadway and you have tortoise fence on both sides, it’s OK to help a tortoise across,” he said. “Put it in the direction that it’s headed on the other side of the tortoise fence.”

In these instances, people can gently pick the animal up, and transport it to safety, holding it low to the ground without tilting it back and forth and gingerly placing it over the fence, Schijf said.

Southern Utahns should also call Urban Wildlife at 435-680-1461 if they observe a tortoise in a residential area. However, he reminds the public that those found in the wild should be left alone.

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