Desert Tortoise Natural Area

Desert Tortoise Natural Area is a special place, a traditional home for a species now threatened with extinction. The DTNA is managed to protect this unique habitat in its natural state, free from conflict with other land uses. The total area encompasses over 25,000 acres of public land. Vistors can encounter the area by taking one of three different loops on the grounds.   Located in the western Mojave Desert in northeastern Kern County, the DTNA was designated an Area of Critical environmental Concern (ACEC) in 1980 through the California Desert Conservation Area Plan. It has one of the highest known densities of desert tortoises per square mile in the species' geographic range (California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and northwest Mexico). Tortoise populations are from 100 to 200 per square mine in some parts of the DTNA.