Science Awards

The Science Awards were established to recognize that effective wildlife management and conservation is founded on innovative scientific inquiry and principles. As the Service faces increasingly complex challenges, the value of current scientific information is rapidly increasing. The awards are meant to recognize the outstanding efforts of the agency’s scientists and technical staff.

The Science Leadership Award recognizes a Service employee’s exemplary practice and support of scientific activities to improve the Service’s knowledge and management of fish and wildlife resources. The Rachel Carson Award for Scientific Excellence recognizes exemplary scientific contributions to achieving extraordinary results in fish and wildlife conservation. The Rachel Carson Award is given in two categories - individual and group.

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Rachel Carson Award for Scientific Excellence (Individual) – 2012

Baron Horiuchi

As the only horticulturalist in the Fish and Wildlife Service, Baron Horiuch’s contributions toward native plant restoration have been critical to adaptive management efforts and recovery of rare native plants at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Hawai’i Island. Baron propagates plant species never before propagated, and actively experiments with new ways to germinate, propagate, and out-plant endangered and common native plant species Learn more.

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Rachel Carson Award for Scientific Excellence (Group) - 2012

Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Staff: Linda Welch, Sara Williams, Michael Langlois, Beth Goettel , James Fortier, Brian Benedict, Teressa Cultrera

The staff at Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge is engaged in landscape-scale, collaborative science to better protect and manage the migratory birds of the Gulf of Maine. Many of their focal species breed nowhere else in the United States, and threats from climate change and offshore energy development threaten the long-term viability of species such as Atlantic puffin, razorbill, and Arctic terns. In addition, the coastline of Maine has been ranked as an excellent or outstanding wind resource area by the Department of Energy. By 2020, the State of Maine hopes to establish 5 gigawatts of wind power capacity, with a portion of that coming from large offshore wind facilities. The Refuge has been collaborating with partners in gathering the data necessary to assist in guiding future offshore development away from areas of high resource value to trust species. Learn more.

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Science Leadership Award - 2012

Grant Harris

Under the leadership of Grant Harris, Chief of Biological Services for the Southwest the past two years, the region’s Biological Services group has added significant capacity. Harris has built a strong foundation for science-based wildlife conservation to grow and flourish in the Southwest, and is leading the Service with reinforcing how science informs management decisions, habitat acquisition, and the Inventory & Monitoring Initiative. Learn more.