JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas - A 30-plus-year partnership between the Air Force and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a tiny Florida fish back from the brink of extinction.
The Okaloosa darter, a 2-inch perch-like fish found only in the streams at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was removed from the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife June 28 thanks to the dedication of dozens of conservation partners.
AFCEC’s Air Force Civil Engineer Center Environmental Management Directorate, part of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, assists base-level environmental experts with planning and execution of base natural resources requirements.
The Okaloosa darter was placed on the Endangered Species list in 1973. Stream siltation reduced vegetative cover, improperly placed culverts and temperature changes had a direct effect on habitat destruction.
Eglin partnered with USFWS to map an Okaloosa Darter Recovery Plan in the early 1990s, leading the way for species recovery.
Bruce Hagedorn, Eglin Natural Resources chief and one of the professionals who started the recovery plan three decades ago, said it is extremely satisfying to see the project through completion.
Eglin AFB is home to 123 of more than 2,000 species on the USFWS’s endangered species list, with habitats spanning various landscapes across 9M acres at 54 installations.
The species recovery, according to Hagedorn, is the result of tireless efforts of many past and present employees who contributed “blood, sweat and probably a few tears.”
The Okaloosa darter recovery is an example of how improvements to natural and built infrastructure in support of the military mission can contribute to the recovery of an endangered species, said Karla Meyer, AF natural resources subject matter expert. (Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center 08/03/23) Tiny fish swims off the endangered species list > Air Force > Article Display (af.mil)
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