FY25 AGASSIZ’S DESERT TORTOISE (GOPHERUS AGASSIZII) GENETIC ANALYSIS AT MCAGCC, THE MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA

Sustaining the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center’s (MCAGCC) training environment is critical to the readiness of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and depends heavily on the integrity and resilience of its desert soils, hydrological basins, weather, ecosystem processes, and organismal communities (MCAGCC 2024 Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, INRMP). The ecology of these communities and their key species are integral to the durability of the natural and training environments, which rely heavily upon intelligent and informed management and conservation. This management and conservation rely heavily on accurately knowing the distribution, density, health, and ecosystem processes of these communities and key or keystone species.

Combining existing species studies with new, very precise LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and orthophotography data for MCAGCC and neighboring properties, enables powerful modelling and management of species distributions and habitat suitability aboard MCAGCC. This project will advance the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command’s (MAGTFTC) ability to conserve its natural and warfighter training environments, and enhance its resilience as an elite resource for the United States Marine Corps.