Rudy Garcia Morales, manager of the Mapimí Bolson Tortoise Preserve, and his team completed the perimeter fence of Rancho San Ignacio: 62,439 acres of prime Bolson Tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus) habitat purchased by the Turtle Conservancy in 2016.

With this, the roughly 30 miles of fencing around the Preserve are now complete. Between material shortages, price increases, a boundary dispute with a neighboring property, and the COVID-19 lockdown, the project took nearly a decade to finish. When we first acquired the ranch, the fence was little more than a few strands of barbed wire and broken posts scattered on the ground.

Cattle from neighboring ranches rove onto the preserve, stripping the land of the native plants and water that wild species depend on for survival. Along with Bolson Tortoises, this preserve protects the Durango Mud Turtle (Kinosternon duranguense) along with 28 mammals species, more than 200 bird species, 44 reptile species, and five amphibian species. This completed fencing project excludes wandering cattle from the land; protecting this fragile ecosystem.

A big thank-you to Rudy, his dedicated team, and to all of you who support the Turtle Conservancy and make this important work possible.