From Left: Tom Stehn, Benjamin Tuggle, Jackie Poole and John Karges, Austin, TX , August 11, 2009.; Photo credit: USFWS, Woody Woodrow.

Recovery Champion Award Recipients Honored at the Southwest Region’s 2009 Climate Change Workshop

The Recovery Champion award recognizes Service employees and their partners for their contributions to the recovery of threatened and endangered species in the United States. This year’s recipients of the Service’s National Recovery Champion Award included Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) botanist Jackie Poole, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Whooping Crane Recovery Coordinator Tom Stehn for their work in the Service’s Southwest Region. John Karges, a conservation biologist for

Jackie Poole's career includes working tirelessly for the conservation of Texas’ rare plants. Her efforts are a major force in planning and implementing the annual Texas Plant Conservation Conference. Photo credit: USFWS.

The Nature Conservancy in Texas, was also honored as a Regional Recovery Champion through the Regional Director’s Cooperative Conservation Award.

Recipient Jackie Poole has been honored for her work protecting a number of endangered Texas plants including Texas wild-rice, Tobusch fishhook cactus, Texas snowbell, star cactus, and Texas poppy-mallow. Poole has been a botanist for the TPWD for over 20 years.

	Tom is the Whooping crane recovery team co-leader, instrumental to the recovery plan and facilitating recovery efforts, working with a variety of stakeholder and partners including Canadian Fish & Wildlife Service making it an international effort. Photo credit: USFWS.

Recipient Tom Stehn has made innumerable outstanding contributions to the recovery of the whooping crane over the past 26 years. Stehn has worked to protect this globally endangered species as the lead Service biologist for the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Texas – home to the only wild migratory flock of whooping cranes.

Recipient John Karges has worked as a conservation biologist for The Nature Conservancy in the West Texas Program Office since 1991 and was promoted to Program Manager in 2008. Karges has contributed immensely to the conservation of a multitude of listed species through conservation efforts on the 300,000 acres under TNC ownership or easement in west Texas.

John Karges facilitated active habitat management, monitoring, and research on the Diamond Y Preserve for the threatened Pecos sunflower, endangered Leon Springs pupfish, and endangered Pecos gambusia. Photo credit: USFWS.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have such capable and dedicated people – both within and outside of the Service – who are so actively committed to conservation,” said Benjamin Tuggle, the Service’s Southwest Regional Director. “We are proud of their efforts, and delighted to recognize them for their outstanding stewardship.”

For additional information on the Service’s National Recovery Champion Awards, please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Champion website at: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/recovery/champions/index.html

Regional Director's 2008 Conservation Award Presented to Warner Glenn

Dr. Benjamin Tuggle presents Warner Glenn with the Regional Director's Conservation Award for his contribution to threatened and endangered species in the southwest. Photo: Bill Radke, USFWS

For his outstanding contributions to threatened and endangered species in the Southwest, Warner Glenn of Douglas, Arizona, was presented the “Regional Director's Conservation Award” by Benjamin N. Tuggle, PhD, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region, at a meeting of the Malpai Borderlands Group in southern Arizona. Warner Glenn was also presented with the "Regional Recovery Champion" Award for his conservation efforts.

The jaguar’s international conservation status is ‘Near Threatened’ throughout its range while it is listed as endangered within the United States.  Glenn has been instrumental in changing negative perceptions of the jaguar among southern Arizona ranchers and communities.  He first encountered this elusive endangered species in 1996 while hunting mountain lions, and sited a jaguar again in 2006.  His photos from those two sightings were the first taken of a live jaguar in the United States.  Glenn’s book, Eyes of Fire, vividly tells the story of his encounter with the jaguar. 

"Warner has done more than document the occurrence of jaguars in the United States,” said Tuggle.  “His stunning photographs, along with his written and oral accounts, have ignited a passion for jaguars and for borderland conservation -- a passion shared by many of his fellow ranchers who work on and care for the land."  A portion of the proceeds from the book is donated to the Jaguar Fund of the Malpai Borderlands Group. The money is used to compensate livestock owners for a confirmed jaguar depredations, and protects jaguar habitat, as well as for other desert wildlife projects.

Since Glenn began his amazing encounters with borderlands jaguars, the Service has granted the jaguar Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection in the United States.  The Service also participates in the Jaguar Conservation Team, a state, federal and private partnership which has developed a Conservation Assessment and Strategy for the jaguar in Arizona and New Mexico.  The Service has also helped fund the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Group's jaguar monitoring efforts in Arizona. 

Photo Credit: © Warner Glenn. All rights reserved.

Since 2005, the Service has contributed more than $100,000 in funds to local and international efforts to help conserve the jaguar, and has helped secure an additional $300,000 in financial support for on-the-ground jaguar recovery projects in Mexico, Belize, Brazil and Argentina.  

“While I am very proud of the efforts of our dedicated Service employees on behalf of jaguar protection, I know that often times a friend or a neighbor’s passion about an animal is far more powerful in promoting species and habitat conservation,” said Tuggle.  “Fueling people’s commitment to this exceptional species is Warner’s true gift to the jaguar. 

His stories and his photographs will continue to inspire future generations, and I am so pleased to honor him as the Service’s Regional Recovery Champion.”

It is illegal to import the jaguar, or any of its parts, without a permit in the United States due to its endangered status.  Service law enforcement agents on the border have investigated numerous jaguar hide or skull imports.  Those without a permit are assessed civil penalties and/or issued a notice of violation. 

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.