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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/13/2007
CONTACT: Melissa Nicholson, Preserve Manager/Office Administrator
tel. (951) 683-3872
E-mail: dtpc@pacbell.net
web site: tortoise-tracks.org
Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee Appoints Melissa Nicholson as the Preserve Manager/Office Administrator
Riverside, Calif., November 9, 2007 – The Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee (DTPC) today announced that Melissa Nicholson was appointed as its Preserve Manger/Office Administrator effective November 5, 2007. Ms. Nicholson brings 5 years experience in wildlife monitoring and environmental management of threatened and endangered reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals.
“We are very pleased to have a new employee, Melissa Nicholson,” said Dr. Kristin Berry, of the DTPC and Board of Trustees. Melissa is our new Office Administrator and Preserve Manager. Melissa graduated with a BS in Zoology and Environmental Biology from Michigan State University and earned a MS degree in Biology from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2007. She has experience working with many different animal species from spiders to the three-toed box turtle, loggerhead sea turtles, green sea turtles, and gopher tortoises. She has taught age groups from children through adults. She was a teaching assistant at the university level for a variety of courses including anatomy and physiology, ecology, and ornithology. She taught at Camp Tyler, an outdoor science camp geared to educating 5th grade students in earth science, environmental awareness, and an appreciation for nature. She has given presentations and lectures to groups ranging from the Boy Scouts of America to Women in Science. She is a co-author on two publications with a third that is pending. Melissa will be participating in many aspects of the daily operations of the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee and is very excited to be part of our conservation efforts. You can reach Melissa at (951)-683-3872 or dtpc@pacbell.net.
"Melissa combines excellent wildlife biology and communication skills with hands on field experience, and has a strong desire to focus on conservation of the desert tortoises and the habitat in which it lives. She will assist the committee in our on going recovery efforts and continued success in managing land acquisitions and restoring habitat in the Mojave and Sonoran desert," said Stephanie Pappas, of DTPC and 1st Vice President.
About DTPC
DTPC is a leader in protecting the threatened desert tortoise and its ecosystem by preserving habitat in California’s Mojave and Sonoran deserts, and by fostering research and education. The DTPC was established in 1974 to conserve and manage populations and habitat for the desert tortoise, now a federally-and state-listed threatened species. The DTPC is a non-profit corporation managed by a Board of Trustees. The organization has many functions, all of which are focused on recovery efforts for the tortoise, the ecosystems it occupies, and other plants and animals in Mojave and Colorado desert ecosystems. The Mohave ground squirrel and more recently, the burrowing owl, are also animals of concern.
The Committee worked with the BLM to establish the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA) in Kern County, California in 1974. In 1980 the designated boundary of this preserve was 39.5 square miles of prime habitat that historically supported one of the highest tortoise population densities. In 2002, the DTPC launched a major initiative to expand the DTNA to include prime tortoise habitat to the west, southeast and east, adding an additional 4,500 acres of habitat home to the desert tortoise and other imperiled wildlife such as the Mohave ground squirrel. In April of 2007, the DTPC achieved a long-term objective of fencing a “keyhole” along the eastern boundary of the DTRNA. The fence which is one linear mile, was completed in August 2007, demonstrating the Committee’s continued efforts to restore habitat for the desert tortoise.
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