New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Public contact, Information Center: (888) 248-6866
Media contact: Karl Moffatt: (505) 476-8007
karl.moffatt@state.nm.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 29, 2016:
Department of Game and Fish biologists honored for conservation work
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Two New Mexico Department of Game and Fish biologists have been honored by peers for their wildlife and fisheries conservation work.
Leland Pierce, the department’s amphibian and reptile biologist, was recently awarded the New Mexico Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Professional Award at the organization’s annual meeting in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Bryan Bakevich, the department’s Rio Grande cutthroat biologist, was named the Arizona-New Mexico Chapter of the American Fisheries Society’s Professional of the Year Award.
Pierce helped develop and implement recovery plans for numerous wildlife species and was instrumental in coordinating a revision of the department’s biennial review of New Mexico’s threatened and endangered species. He also helped bridge the gap between wildlife and geospatial communities for use in the wildlife management arena.
Bakevick worked on the Rio Costilla Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project, one of the largest inland native trout restoration efforts in North America. The project’s record of success helped keep the native trout off the federal list of endangered species.
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