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. The two vehicles barreled over a road and careened into the Ord Rodman Area, which the federal government has deemed critical to the desert tortoise’s survival. It caps the latest battle between conservationists, off-roaders and other interests in a long-running war over who gets to access the Mojave desert and how. A desert tortoise in the Mojave Desert near Kramer Junction, on BLM land. There is one area in the western Mojave where tortoise populations are recovering: the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area near California City.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 19, 2026 23:01 UTC