At the May 13, 2014, All Employee Meeting, the Southwest Region honored several outstanding employees with two noteworthy awards. The John R. Morgart Award for Outstanding Contribution to Scientific Publications is presented annually to a Southwest Region employee(s) who publish significant monographs, technical journal articles and other scientific writings. This year, Matt Butler and Grant Harris, with the Refuge program’s Division of Biological Science, and Bradley Strobel, formerly of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, were recognized for their paper entitled "Influence of whooping crane population dynamics on its recovery and management" published in Biological Conservation 162:89-99.
The Region 2 winners of the 2013 Recovery Champion awards were also announced at the May 13, 2014, All Employee Meeting. This award honors Service employees and our partners for outstanding efforts to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife and plants. We are proud to recognize James Atkinson, Sonoran Pronghorn Recovery Team Leader, and Christa Weise, Ph.D., Kofa National Wildlife Refuge Biologist, for their outstanding efforts to conserve and recover Sonoran pronghorn. Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D., from the National Park Service’s Padre Island National Seashore, was also recognized for her exceptional efforts on behalf of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle conservation and recovery.
News Release
The conservation and recovery of endangered species is one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
(Service) most important missions. Each year, the Service recognizes individuals and teams that
have made a particularly significant contribution to this critical endeavor. This year the Service has
recognized three individuals and teams from the southwest for their exceptional efforts to conserve
and protect the nation’s rarest fish, wildlife and plants by designating them 2013 Recovery
Champions.
James Atkinson, Sonoran Pronghorn Recovery Team Leader, and Christa Weise, Ph.D., U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, for their work in conserving the Sonoran pronghorn. As the Sonoran
Pronghorn Recovery Team Leader for the past six years, Jim Atkinson has focused efforts leading
to the establishment of a second captive breeding facility and a new population of pronghorn in an
area of its historic range in the King Valley of Kofa Valley National Wildlife Refuge for the first
time in a century. Dr. Christa Weise has also played a key role in conserving the Sonoran
pronghorn. In Mexico, Dr. Weise has participated in Sonoran pronghorn surveys, and at home she
has worked with partners to address malfunctioning radio telemetry collars, bobcat predation of
fawns, and irrigation canals as drowning threats. Partners include the Arizona Game and Fish
Department, Barry M. Goldwater Marine Corps Range, U.S. Air Force, National Park Service,
Bureau of Land Management, Yuma Rod and Gun Club, Arizona State University, University of
Arizona, and non-profit organizations.
Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D., who works for the National Park Service at the Padre Island National
Seashore, Corpus Christi, Texas, coordinates research and recovery activities for the endangered
Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle with partners in the United States and Mexico, including the Service,
NOAA Fisheries, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, local governments, universities and NGOs.
Dr. Shaver has devoted her career to this species, earning global recognition for her scholarship and
its applications—identifying critical foraging areas, conducting surveys and monitoring, and
recovering and rehabilitating stranded sea turtles. She has authored or co-authored over 100
publications and published in a variety of journals and magazines. Dr. Shaver is also a member of
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
News
Release
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PO Box 1306
Albuquerque, NM 87103
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505/248-6915 (Fax)the bi-national Kemp’s ridley recovery team, a board member of the International Sea Turtle
Society, a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Marine Turtle Specialist Group,
and the division chief for Padre Island National Seashore, Division of Sea Turtle Science and
Recovery.
“We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to these dedicated conservationists who are on the front
lines fighting the battle against extinction,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “Their spirit and
determination is the application of Aldo Leopold’s counsel to ‘keep every cog and wheel,’ and they
provide hope for all of us that our children and the generations that follow will be able to enjoy the
same tremendous diversity of plants and animals that we do today.”
“The dedication and accomplishments of these individuals and their partners is an inspiration to us
all,” said Benjamin Tuggle, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest
Region. “Their contributions to the Southwest Region’s Endangered Species Recovery Program are
truly deserving of this prestigious award, and of our lasting gratitude.”
The Recovery Champion awards began in 2002 as a one-time recognition for Service staff members
for their achievements in conserving listed species. However, in 2007, the program was expanded to
honor Service partners as well, recognizing their essential role in the recovery of threatened and
endangered species.
For information about the 2013 Recovery Champions, please visit:
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/recovery-champions/index.html.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish,
wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more
information, visit www.fws.gov, or connect with us through any of these social media channels:
