The desert tortoise, a once-resilient reptile, is a keystone species in the Mojave Desert, where other animals depend for their survival on the burrows it digs. But it is imperiled in California thanks in part to an unusual predator: off-road vehicles that race through thousands of miles of trails—official and unofficial—that crisscross millions of acres of tortoise habitat.

The desert tortoise, a once-resilient reptile, is a keystone species in the Mojave Desert, where other animals depend for their survival on the burrows it digs. But it is imperiled in California thanks in part to an unusual predator: off-road vehicles that race through thousands of miles of trails—official and unofficial—that crisscross millions of acres of tortoise habitat.

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  • rafoix@lemmy.zip
    2·
    2 days ago

    “Everybody is quite upset about it,” said Ben Burr, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for motorized recreation. “They think it’s an overreach and this judge went a little too far.” The coalition is petitioning the U.S. Department of Justice to demand an appeal of the decision.

    lol, a little too far? How dare that judge make a decision based on evidence.