Adopt our state reptile

Cary Larsen, Carson Valley resident and member of the Reno Turtle and Tortoise Club, will speak about the Adopt-A-Tortoise program at Minden Park at 3 p.m. Tuesday. She will display two desert tortoises, an Eastern box turtle and an African leopard tortoise.

She will explain the importance of adopting desert tortoises, Nevada's State Reptile which is on the federal endangered species list. Development in Clark County is destroying the natural habitat of the tortoise, she said.

The free adoption program is for residents of Nevada only. To adopt a tortoise, a person must have a dig-proof and tortoise-safe yard,which costs less than $50 to fix up. Tortoises may be adopted at any size and generally live 50 to 70 years.

Families who have a tortoise or turtle are invited to bring them to the park. Carol Rapacz will bring Buttercup, a box turtle who lives at the library. Bring dandelions to feed the tortoises.

The program is part of the summer reading program sponsored by the Douglas County Public Library.

For information, contact Rapacz at the Douglas County Public Library, 1625 Library Lane, Minden; or call 782-9841.