Lee Simons: a Legacy in Southern Nevada

Authors: James Harter, Christiana Manville

Year: 2018

Abstract

Lee Simons, Ph.D., served as the Senior Fish Biologist at the Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office from 2008 to 2016. During his tenure, he was invaluable to recovery efforts for the Devils Hole Pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis, Moapa Dace, Moapa coriacea, and Pahranagat Roundtail Chub, Gila robusta jordani, in addition to several other desert fishes. Lee was exceptional at building collaborative partnerships, as partners on the Devils Hole Incident Command Team and Muddy River Biological Advisory Committee strongly attest. He excelled at bringing funding and other resources to southern Nevada that resulted in recovery actions for many of the listed fish species. Lee was successful at writing grants for species conservation and obtained several Cooperative Recovery Initiative Grants, funding from the National Fish Passage Program, and several Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act grants. Lee was active within the research community and facilitated research on desert fishes with the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Nevada Reno, UC Berkley, University of Arizona, and other institutions. Lee not only held a passion for natural resources, but for life in general. Lee was a friend and mentor for those both inside and outside the USFWS, and always took the time to lend an ear or provide help to others. Many of the projects Lee started continue today and illustrate a legacy in southern Nevada.