The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (Bureau), has developed a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for a general conservation plan (GCP) for the federally threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in California. The Service will be accepting public comments on the draft GCP and EIS during a 60-day public review period, which runs from October 11 through December 10, 2024. The issues and alternatives evaluated in the draft EIS considered the input received during public scoping and pre-scoping efforts. More information on the project and the draft EIS can be found in the notice of availability (NOA) and on the project overview page of this website. 

The Service held two virtual public meetings on November 12, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. and on November 13, 2024, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The purpose of these meetings was to provide the public with information on the draft GCP, the draft EIS, and the overall National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The meetings included a presentation and a question and answer session. Formal comments on the draft EIS must be submitted in writing via the methods described on the providing public input page.