Hello, my name is Sean Sutor. I am a graduate student at Texas Tech University studying the impacts of human-driven changes on wildlife in the United States-Mexico border region of the Sonoran Desert.
This summer, another graduate student and I will be tracking desert tortoises for four months to better understand how activities in the border region are impacting their movement.
I am aiming to raise $2,755.00 by June 4th for radio-tracking equipment.
Why is this important? Human activities such as road building, off-road vehicle use, and the construction of the border wall are changing the natural landscape of this culturally and biologically rich region, which threatens desert wildlife.
Protecting wildlife corridors has become a priority in the region. Effected species include the iconic Sonoran desert tortoise, which is under consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act. For tortoises, barriers result in direct mortality (road-kill) but also long-term population-level problems that are difficult to detect. Our work will help predict the impacts of these barriers and inform plans to protect the species.
How will your donation be used? Funds will be used to purchase the equipment we need to monitor tortoise movement by the time the monsoon rains arrive, and the tortoises are active! This equipment will be used for the duration of our graduate careers, and by future researchers with radio-tracking needs.
Our work involves finding and marking tortoises for a long-term study, and attaching GPS loggers to some of those tortoises to record their movements. Finding tortoises is a difficult task, and radio-tracking equipment is crucial to finding the same individuals and recovering GPS data.
How is this important to me? My interest in working with reptiles has been growing since I held my first wild lizard at 6 years old. A future where I work outside, walking over rocks and among cacti to radio-track giant reptiles is something I’ve long daydreamed about from behind my maps. That dream is becoming realized.
I've pursued graduate school to become a better scientist; to empower myself with the knowledge and skills needed to inspire, support, and advise others in the future, in the way many people have done for me throughout my career. This field season is an important part of that process, and radio-tracking is an important part of the Ecologist’s skillset that I need.
Below I have included a breakdown of the money I am trying to raise. If you have any questions on the project or about this fundraiser, please do not hesitate to contact me! Thank you for your consideration in supporting me.
Sean
Border wall construction along our study site. Here in the border region, the Tohono O'odham nation, Mexico, and the United States form a trinational intersection. Photo by Sean Sutor, 2020.
Our research is partially supported by a small grant but funds are insufficient to cover all the equipment needs. My goal is to raise $2,755 by June 4th to purchase the radio-tracking equipment we need by the time we need it.
10 VHF transmitters to be attached to the shell of tortoises throughout the study area.
1 antenna and 1 receiver to locate the radio signal coming from the transmitter on each animal.
At $1,965, I will purchase 5 transmitters, the receiver, and an antenna to get us well-started.
If we are fortunate enough to raise this money by June 4th, I will purchase the remaining transmitters.