Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — An older male desert tortoise being monitored by biologists with a locator device watches from the safety of his temporary housing under some desert foliage outside the gates of the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site in area deemed safe and away from construction. This tortoise has not been relocated into the protective pens at BrightSource but is under the watchful eyes of the Bureau of Land Management and BrightSource biologists.The project, in the Mojave Desert near the Nevada state line, will have a 3,500-acre footprint with three power towers, each standing 450 feet tall encircled by a field of more than 175,00 mirrors, reflecting the power of sunlight to heat the steam generators. Biologists have been rounding up most of the endangered tortoises ahead of and during construction, placing them in pens until they can be relocated.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — A relocated desert tortoise emerges from a manmade burrow in a pen at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=55426

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — Bureau Of Land Management biologist Larry LaPre keeps his distance from an older male desert tortoise hunkered down in temporary housing under some desert foliage outside the gates of the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — Biologist Ileene Anderson with the Center For Biological Diversity walks past one of the desert tortoise burrows in the Ivanpah Valley.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — A relocated desert tortoise strolls in its pen at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — "Geo" E. Keyes Jr. takes a break from his daily task of watching over the tortoise pens at BrightSource Energy's Ivanpah solar power plant construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — Bureau of Land Management biologist Larry LaPre, left, and and BrightSource biologist "Geo" E. Keyes Jr. check on the tortoise population in the pens at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — A BrightSource biologist walks the fence at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site looking for any desert tortoises that might have to be moved.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — BrightSource biologist "Geo" E. Keyes Jr., checks on the tortoise population in the pens at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=55433

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Ivanpah Valley, Calif. — One of the relocated desert tortoises takes a walk in its pen at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=55434

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