Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center

Happy World Environment Day!

This year's theme is "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future." — a pretty good description of what our community does every day.

The faculty, students, and alumni of the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center study how ecosystems work and how to protect them. Our students are training as the next generation of conservation scientists, and our alumni are out doing that work right now in research, in policy, and in the field around the world.

Today, we're recognizing all of them.

Thank you for the science. Happy World Environment Day from all of us at the Harris Center. 🌱

The Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center mourns the passing of Ted Turner, who died on May 6, 2026, at his home in Florida at the age of 87.

In 2000, Turner received our World Ecology Award, now the Robert R. Hermann World Ecology Award, in recognition of his sustained commitment to environmental protection and his work to raise public awareness of biodiversity conservation.

Beyond his career in media, Turner was a lifelong environmentalist and one of the largest private conservationists in the United States. He advocated for cleaner transportation, wilderness conservation, sustainable business practices, and the recovery of imperiled species — including the Mexican wolf, California condor, black-tailed prairie dog, and desert bighorn sheep. He managed the largest private bison herd in the world across his ranches in several states.

Named Time Magazine's Man of the Year in 1991 and the recipient of dozens of honorary degrees and civic honors, Turner used his platform and personal wealth in service of the natural world and the people who depend on it. His legacy will endure in the lands he protected and the species he helped bring back.

Join us next week for a Discover Series talk by our director, Dr. Aimee Dunlap! She'll be presenting "The Ecology and Evolution of Learning Across Species" for NextGen Precision Health on Tuesday, May 12th at the UMSL campus.

Attend in person or join virtually — registration link below.

https://events.zoom.us/ev/Au-uoIFw1cmTdUEioxnZ-hDH5_HFkEEHc2KLaoIjCXhxcZMPrM9z~AlBHalgsMq0PT1OVHB6MN1WGE79yCe7RtaW_X0lyYkG-1nlLRDaOBWxzsg

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Peter H. Raven, President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who died on Saturday, April 25, at the age of 89.

Dr. Raven was, without exaggeration, one of the most influential botanists of the past century. Over nearly four decades as director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, he transformed it into a global center for botanical research, education, and conservation. He was an early and persistent voice on the loss of biodiversity, a recipient of the National Medal of Science, and a mentor and collaborator to generations of scientists working across the world.

For those of us at the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, his loss is felt with particular weight. The work we do, training students from around the world to lead conservation research and shape policy in their home countries, exists in the landscape Dr. Raven helped build. The deep partnership between UMSL and the Missouri Botanical Garden has shaped countless careers, including that of our most recent World Ecology Award recipient, Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann, who succeeded the institution Dr. Raven led.

Dr. Raven's work was guided by the conviction that understanding the natural world carries with it an obligation to sustain it. This conviction continues to guide our students, our faculty, and our mission. We are grateful for his life's work, and we extend our condolences to his family, his colleagues at the Garden, and the global community of scientists who learned from him.

Photo credit: Missouri Botanical Garden | Michael Jacob

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/peter-raven/fbclid/iwy2xjawrd8dnlehrua2flbqixmqbzcnrjbmfwcf9pzbaymjiwmzkxnzg4mjawodkyaaeec40sow4g_fxvpzhjxipdzphm3xswkih7jbu41kvewvfmdnsqifyigotkmy4_aem_fhxyicunayfero4cxipd3q

What a night.

In 1999, a PhD student sat in the audience at our World Ecology Award Gala, watching Jane Goodall accept the medal. Last week, she received it herself.

We were thrilled to present the Robert R. Hermann World Ecology Award to Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann. Dr. Lohmann is the President of the@mobotgarden, an , and one of the world's leading voices on plant biodiversity in the Amazon and Neotropics. She is the 27th recipient of the award and the second Harris Center alum to receive it.

In her keynote, Dr. Lohmann made the case that closing the gap on Earth's undescribed species will require a new generation of scientists fluent in data and technology but deeply grounded in hands-on plant biology and she celebrated St. Louis as one of the best places in the world to train them. We couldn't agree more.

To our supporters, partners, faculty, and students whose research was on full display throughout the evening, thank you for making it memorable.

📸 Derik Holtmann | UMSL

The Robert R. Hermann World Ecology Award Dinner returns April 17th, 2026!

Join us as we honor Dr. Lúcia Lohmann: world-renowned scientist, conservation leader, and proud UMSL and Harris Center alumna. Dr. Lohmann's pioneering work in the Amazon basin launched an extraordinary career in research, teaching, and biodiversity conservation across the globe. In 2024, she became President of the Missouri Botanical Garden — the first woman to hold the position.

We're thrilled to welcome her back to St. Louis and celebrate her accomplishments.

🎟️ For tickets and sponsorship info visit umsl.edu/hwec2026

The final desert fish featured here is the Minckley's cichlid (Herichthys minckleyi). This species was named after Dr. Wendell L. Minckley a pioneer for the protection and study of desert flora and fauna. Minckley’s cichlid is endemic to Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico and females turn that striking white color when guarding their young. This white coloration is how we can distinguish them from the Texas cichlids (Herichthys cyanoguttatus).

I had the opportunity to see these amazing fish last November when I attended the Desert Fishes Council Meeting (of which Dr. Minckley was a founding member). I presented my research on New Mexico Gambusia (featured on day 1) for the first time at this conference!

These 5 fish are only scratching the surface of the amazing aquatic diversity in desert habitats. Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to learn more about desert fish and their conservation!
Thanks,
Casey

📸Fish photo credit: biocacheux (iNaturalist). Background was removed using an online tool.

Welcome to desert fish day 4!

Today we explore our fish Mexican desert fish, the Conchos pupfish (Cyprinodon eximius). Unlike the other desert spring fish we’ve seen so far, this species occurs in rivers and associated tributaries. This doesn’t protect the species from the dangers of water overextraction however, as the Conchos River is the one of main water sources for communities in the area.

Conservation efforts at the San Antonio Zoo have successfully reintroduced populations of this species to the wild and recently won a conservation award for this work! I got to see this species at the San Antonio Zoo in 2025, and it was a truly amazing experience. These little fish are so colorful with many of them having bright blues throughout their heads and tails.

📸Fish photo credit: Lindsey Ekins (iNaturalist). Background removed with an online tool.

When you’re a fish, moving between habitats when they become unstable is impossible without water connecting those habitats. In the desert, where water is a limited resource, springs get pumped for human use which can make them unstable for the fish that live in them. The Pahrump poolfish (Empetrichthys latos) almost went extinct due to the pumping of water from their spring habitats.

However, conservation efforts have developed refuge ponds that have allowed their population sizes to grow. Much like my research, information about the environmental conditions in which these fish live help make conservation efforts more efficient. This information allows us to identify when the habitat is unstable, how to construct refuge ponds, and when to take species into captivity.

📸 Fish photo credit: rangerjosh (iNaturalist). Background removed with an online tool.

The Devil’s Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) might be the most famous desert fish there is! This species lives in one small hole in Death Valley, Nevada and their population size has gotten as low as 30 individuals. Like most other desert fish, this species is threatened by the overextraction of groundwater. Given their extremly small population size, they are also one of the most in**ed species in the world. Conservation efforts to protect their habitat and maintain a captive population have helped prevent this species from going extinct.

Pupfishes are the most diverse desert fish species. In fact there is another pupfish species in Roswell, New Mexico that co-occurs with the New Mexico Gambusia you saw yesterday! Pupfish can tolerate extreme environmental conditions like salinties 3x saltier than seawater as well as extremely hot water.

📸 Fish photo credit: Olin Feuerbacher (inNaturalist); background was removed using an online tool.