Nature Conservancy of Texas scientist receives national conservation award

John Karges recognized by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for years of work safeguarding rare Texas species

SAN ANTONIO, TX—September 10, 2009—Nature Conservancy scientist and naturalist John Karges has been named by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as the recipient of the 2009 Recovery Champion Award in the agency’s Region 2, which encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. The prestigious award is given in recognition of an individual’s contributions in the recovery of threatened or endangered species in the United States.

In presenting the award Benjamin N. Tuggle, Ph. D., regional director for USFWS Region 2, noted among Karges’ many contributions to conservation his unparalleled wildlife recovery efforts. In particular, he cited Karges’ work benefiting the Devils River minnow near Del Rio and the endangered Leon Springs pupfish, which is found only at the Conservancy’s Diamond Y Spring Preserve near Fort Stockton.

“The Recovery Champion award recognizes exceptional accomplishments in species protection and reminds us that deep, diverse partnerships are essential in achieving conservation results on a grand scale,” said Dr. Tuggle. “However, even the protection of entire landscapes requires the many steps of a single individual. John’s tireless dedication to serving Texas is a testament to the significant contributions one person can make through years of dedicated service.”

Karges, a biologist, has spent the majority of his 19 years of service thus far to The Nature Conservancy in West Texas. He expressed surprise and gratitude upon receiving the honor. “I hope our work has set the stage to ensure the viability of these rare fish and the protection of the rich natural world they inhabit,” he said. “Like so many fragile species, the Devils River minnow and Leon Springs pupfish are important bellwethers of the world around us. If these fish disappear, it’s a glaring indicator of drastic environmental changes that could also impact humans.”

By working cooperatively with landowners and other conservation partners over many years, Karges has helped ensure the viability of rare species, in large part by leading conservation efforts of scarce water resources. 

“As an organization whose mission is guided by science, we are thrilled that one of our most respected and accomplished experts received this recognition,” said Laura Huffman, director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas. “John has long been a hero to those who care about conservation, and has done a great deal to protect rare fish, plant and animal species in Texas. His efforts have also helped protect tens of thousands of acres of the most beautiful and important natural places in our state—land that people enjoy today and will do so for generations to come.”

Karges has been instrumental in permanently protecting huge tracts of important habitat. In 1993, he helped create The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve, which today covers nearly 33,000 acres in West Texas. And by working with surrounding landowners, Karges helped buffer the preserve with easements on neighboring lands to create a nearly 100,000-acre conservation area.

As a biologist, Karges has led scientific research and conservation efforts around the state, on both Conservancy properties and privately owned lands.

Today, Karges oversees The Nature Conservancy’s statewide data-gathering efforts as director of the Texas Natural History Survey, a database of biological information—gathered largely through partnerships with private landowners—used by the organization, its partners and academic institutions to plan and implement conservation efforts across the state.

ABOUT THE LEON SPRINGS PUPFISH—Growing only two inches long, the Leon Springs Pupfish is a small, rare fish found only in Pecos County, Texas. The fish was first discovered in 1851 at Leon Springs, a spring system that fed the Leon Creek drainage. The area was inundated in 1918 by Lake Leon, and by 1938 the species had disappeared from the location of its discovery. Leon Springs dried up in 1958 as a result of unsustainable water use, and the species was presumed extinct until 1965 when individuals were collected about ten miles north of Fort Stockton at Diamond Y Spring. Now federally Endangered, the Leon Springs Pupfish is limited to Diamond Y Spring and a 4 mile stretch of Leon Creek. The Conservancy’s Diamond Y Spring Preserve protects critical habitat for the species, which is threatened by habitat loss, as well as competition from—and hybridization with—introduced non-native species.

ABOUT THE TEXAS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY—The Texas Natural History Survey (TNHS) is a program comprising Conservancy science and conservation staff, dedicated volunteers and private landowners who work to catalog the vast biological diversity in Texas. Within Texas’ borders are part or all of eleven ecoregions and the state is home to a staggering variety of natural life. With more than 4,400 plants species and 1,800 animal species, Texas ranks among the most biologically diverse states in America. Unfortunately, Texas also ranks among the states with the most species at risk of extinction because of global rarity or external threats. The mission of the TNHS is to collect, maintain and analyze the state’s biological information to create programs that protect species currently at risk and prevent others from being added to the endangered list.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at nature.org. In the Lone Star State, The Nature Conservancy of Texas owns more than 30 nature preserves and conservation projects and assists private landowners to conserve their land through more than 100 voluntary land-preservation agreements. The Nature Conservancy of Texas protects some 250,000 acres of wild lands and, with partners, has conserved 750,000 acres for wildlife habitat across the state. Visit The Nature Conservancy of Texas on the Web at nature.org/texas.