In the fullness of time: Considering the value of rare and endangered desert fishes

Authors: Christopher Norment

Year: 2012 (xliv)

Abstract

Four taxa of pupfish (Cyprinodon) in the Death Valley region currently are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act; another taxon, the Tecopa pupfish (C. nevadensis calidae), is extinct. Efforts to protect the listed pupfish taxa sometimes involve ‘extraordinary’ measures, as with the Owens pupfish (C. radiosus)and the Devil’s Hole pupfish (C. diabolis). In the case of the Owens pupfish, habitat loss and impacts of invasive species have led to the repeated extinction or decline of populations in refugia, necessitating continued efforts to establish and maintain new populations; the California Department of Fish and Game database contains records of 40,482 pupfish handled during 143 translocations. Efforts to sustain the Devil’s Hole pupfish have included intensive monitoring, supplemental feeding, attempts to establish populations in refugia, and the recent construction of the four-five million dollar Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility. At the same time, climate change and increasing demand for water in the region may increase the vulnerability of some pupfish populations. Given the potentially perilous status of many pupfish populations, and the resources that may be required to sustain these populations, it is important to articulate convincing arguments for conservation of pupfish and other vulnerable taxa, which will resonate with the general public, conservation biologists, and resource managers. My field and creative writing project, In the Fullness of Time, represents one attempt to do so; it asks how the interests of pupfish and people are linked, and includes what I term a ‘metaphorical’ argument for preserving endangered species: that the stubborn, continued existence of organisms in harsh and unforgiving environments can encourage us, and fill us with wonder.