The California Turtle & Tortoise Society is an organization dedicated to education, conservation, preservation, and rescue of turtles around the world. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with headquarters located in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1964, it is one of the oldest organizations of its type.
Formerly known as The California Turtle & Tortoise Club of Westchester, the organization changed its name in 2006 and created a new newsletter called Marmorata, after the only native water turtle found in California - the Western pond turtle Clemmys.
Several major turtle & tortoise meetings have been organized by CTTS including The First International Conference on Turtles & Tortoises in 1998 at California State University Dominguez Hills, CA, as well as the 2003 Symposium on Turtle Conservation in Carson, CA. Both events featured the world's foremost expert on turtles and tortoises, Dr. Peter C.H. Pritchard
The organization rescues hundreds of abandoned and sick turtles and tortoises in southern California each year. Further, it educates the public about turtle conservation and care.
During the past decade, CTTS has organized several trips around the world to visit turtle "hot-spots" such as the Galapagos Islands (1998, 2996), South Africa (2004), Costa Rica (1996, 2007), and various areas throughout the United States.
Meetings are held on the second Friday of each month at the Westside Pavilion Mall in West Los Angeles in the Community Center.