Recovery Champions are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) staff and their partners whose work is advancing the recovery of endangered and threatened species of plants and animals.
Left to Right: Kurt Matsumoto, Rachel Sprague, and Jonathan Sprague
Pacific Region
Kurt Matsumoto - Pūlama Lānaʻi
Rachel Sprague - Pūlama Lānaʻi
Jonathan Sprague - Pūlama Lānaʻi
Over the last decade, the efforts of the Pūlama Lānaʻi team have advanced the recovery of more than 40 threatened and endangered species on Lānaʻi. The team has worked tirelessly across challenging terrain to build and maintain predator-proof tree snail enclosures, install hundreds of miles of ungulate-proof fencing, conduct extensive predator control, and manage invasive species invasive species An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species . Without their monitoring and habitat restoration efforts, many additional endemic species of plants, damselflies, yellow-faced bees, and Hawaiian waterbirds may have been lost from the wild. Beyond preserving the existing biodiversity of Lānaʻi, the team is also returning species to the wild. Through the development of the first Conservation Benefit Agreement in the nation with the Service and the Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife as partners, the team will reintroduce the extirpated orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly, a remarkable achievement.
Left to right, top to bottom: Rachel Burke, Jon Flanders, Ana Ibarra, Kristen Lear, Brianna Mann, and Dan Taylor.
Rachel Burke - Bat Conservation International
Jon Flanders - Bat Conservation International
Ana Ibarra - Bat Conservation International
Kristen Lear - Bat Conservation International
Brianna Mann - Bat Conservation International
Dan Taylor - Bat Conservation International
Members of the Bat Conservation International Agave Restoration Initiative Team are recognized as recovery champions for their leadership in the recovery of the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat. Since 2018, the team has helped combat the degradation of agave – the primary food resource for the bat – working with more than 65 partners to establish dozens of agave restoration programs across 12 U.S. and Mexican states. With partners, the team has collected over 1 million native agave seeds for restoration efforts, planted over 116,000 native agaves, protected or restored over 5,495 hectares of land, supported 26 native plant nurseries, and trained 224 community members in sustainable agricultural techniques. Additionally, through strong community-based work and government partnerships, the team has protected vulnerable roosts.By working with community leaders to stop illegal development and human disturbance in Cueva de Oztuyehualco, team members have reduced the main threats to the only known Mexican long-nosed bat mating roost.
Cale Nordmeyer and Erik Runquist are recognized as recovery champions for their contributions to the recovery of the endangered Poweshiek skipperling and threatened Dakota skipper. Their efforts to establish successful rearing and release programs at the Minnesota Zoo have directly contributed to significant milestones in the conservation of these prairie butterflies. The Poweshiek skipperling, for example, has exhibited an astounding population increase from about 250 individuals in 2013 to approximately 1,500 in captivity and ready to release in 2025. In addition to their technical contributions, Nordmeyer and Runquist are also exemplary collaborators with both domestic and international partners. They generously offered their expertise in skipper and skipperling rearing to establish similar programs at the John Ball Zoo in Michigan and the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Manitoba, and have also fostered partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies and private landowners to ensure the success of future butterfly releases.
Left to right, top to bottom: Sarah Kate Bailey, Geoff Call, Stephanie Chance, Makenzie Foster, Anna George, Helaina Gomez, Abbey Holsopple, Bernie Kuhajda, Tigris Nevans, and Warren Stiles.
Sarah Kate Bailey - Tennessee Aquarium
Geoff Call - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Stephanie Chance - Tennessee Aquarium
Makenzie Foster - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Anna George - Tennessee Aquarium
Helaina Gomez - Tennessee Aquarium
Abbey Holsopple - Tennessee Aquarium
Bernie Kuhajda - Tennessee Aquarium
Tigris Nevans - Tennessee Aquarium
Warren Stiles - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
During the summer and fall of 2024, a prolonged drought emerged as a preeminent threat to the Laurel dace, a freshwater minnow native to Tennessee. During this pivotal time, the Laurel Dace Rescue Team provided for the ongoing conservation and survival of the endangered fish by developing a water level monitoring protocol and planning for individuals to be collected and brought into captivity to maintain representation from the last two wild populations. In a short period, the team collaborated to rescue, transport, and house more than 200 fish while maintaining separation of individuals from each population. The Aquarium led the “Race for the Laurel Dace” fundraising campaign, which helped significantly raise public awareness of the species’ plight and secure funding to help ensure the availability of the specialized emergency care needed for the rescued individuals. The Service’s diligent work to sample, collect, transport, and care for individual laurel dace were invaluable to this effort.
Terry Sharik - Michigan Technological University, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Terry Sharik is recognized as a recovery champion for his leadership in the recovery of the threatened Virginia round-leaf birch, a species endemic to Virginia. Over the past four decades, Sharik has worked to engage local groups; build strong partnerships with state, federal, and non-government organizations; and steward the species in nurseries and the wild. These efforts were instrumental to the reclassification of the species from endangered to the less critical status of threatened in 1994. Sharik's expertise and engagement were also central to the development and implementation of the recovery plan for the species—the first such plan for a federally protected tree. Even in retirement, Sharik continues to share his passion and support recovery efforts through innovative approaches to birch propagation. Sharik’s recent efforts to conduct a full survey and status assessment, as well as to ensure the implementation of recovery actions, has kept the species on the path to recovery.
Brian Mihlbachler - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Brian Mihlbachler is recognized as a recovery champion for his leadership in the conservation of the threatened Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Preble’s mouse). For more than 20 years, Mihlbachler has advocated for sound science and planning as a member of the species’ recovery team. Mihlbachler led the development of a comprehensive Preble’s Mouse Conservation Plan for the U.S. Air Force Academy, balancing conservation with necessary infrastructure management. Because of his efforts, the Academy is the centerpiece of the Monument Creek Recovery Population, conserving habitat that supports approximately 1,000 mice. Additionally, Mihlbachler’s leadership on the Monument Creek Site Conservation Team has supported and sustained collaborations with private landowners and local, state, and federal agencies to advance Preble’s mouse conservation by developing conservation agreements, developing and implementing habitat conservation and restoration projects, and securing funds to reduce threats to Preble’s mouse and its habitats.
Alaska Region
VF Grace, Inc.
VF Grace, Inc. committed to distributing exclusively non-toxic shotgun shells for waterfowl hunting in Alaska, helping advance recovery outcomes for the federally threatened spectacled eider. Lead shot poisoning is a major threat to these unique ducks and reduces the probability that the species will continue to persist in Alaska. While it has been illegal to use lead shotshells for waterfowl hunting in Alaska since 1991, it is still legal to sell this type of ammunition; consequently, it is sometimes still used in spectacled eider nesting areas, where it can be ingested by foraging birds. VF Grace, Inc. is the largest ammunition distributor for village stores in areas near spectacled eider breeding habitat and has significant influence over the type of ammunition available in these communities. By voluntarily agreeing to sell only non-toxic shotshells in waterfowl loads, VF Grace, Inc. has helped to significantly improve the quality of habitat for spectacled eiders by reducing the availability of toxic lead shot in their breeding wetlands. Furthermore, the company's action supports safe, legal subsistence waterfowl hunting, which is essential to the well-being of our Alaska Native conservation partners.
Jana Johnson is recognized as a recovery champion for her leadership in the recovery of the Palos Verdes blue butterfly. Over the years, Johnson’s technical and collaborative expertise have been instrumental to a multitude of conservation efforts on behalf of the endangered butterfly. The species’ captive breeding program once struggled to maintain a small refugium population, but Johnson’s work has fostered a program that now produces thousands of Palos Verdes blue butterflies annually for release at new and historical locations. Johnson has also made recent releases possible through partnerships with the U.S. Navy, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Moreover, Johnson has provided dozens of students the opportunity and responsibility to conduct hands-on work with this species at Moorpark College and Ventura County Community College, inspiring the next generation of biologists to sustain these recovery efforts and chart their own paths in species conservation.
