Standing between Life and Extinction: Ethics and Ecology of Conserving Aquatic Species in North American Deserts

North American deserts—lands of little water—have long been home to a surprising diversity of aquatic life, from fish to insects and mollusks. With European settlement, however, water extraction, resource exploitation, and invasive species set many of these native aquatic species on downward spirals. In this book, conservationists dedicated to these creatures document the history of their work, the techniques and philosophies that inform it, and the challenges and opportunities of the future. A precursor to this book, Battle Against Extinction, laid out the scope of the problem and related conservation activities through the late 1980s. Since then, many nascent conservation programs have matured, and researchers have developed new technologies, improved and refined methods, and greatly expanded our knowledge of the myriad influences on the ecology and dynamics of these species. Standing between Life and Extinction brings the story up to date. While the future for some species is more secure than thirty years ago, others are less fortunate. Calling attention not only to iconic species like the razorback sucker, Gila trout, and Devils Hole pupfish, but also to other fishes and obscure and fascinating invertebrates inhabiting intermittent aquatic habitats, this book explores the scientific, social, and political challenges of preserving these aquatic species and their habitats amid an increasingly charged political discourse and in desert regions characterized by a growing human population and rapidly changing climate.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Senator Tom Udall Preface Edwin P. (Phil) Pister Section 1. Engaging the Battle 1 The Battle to Conserve Aquatic Species in Lands of Water Scarcity Continues Jack E. Williams and David L. Propst 2 The Protagonists 2a Carl Leavitt Hubbs and Robert Rush Miller Robert J. Edwards 2b W. L. Minckley Chuck O. Minckley 2c Salvador Contreras-Balderas María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano and Armando Jesús Contreras-Balderas 2d James E. Deacon Cindy Deacon Williams 2e Clark Hubbs Gary P. Garrett 2f Robert J. Behnke Kevin R. Bestgen and Kurt D. Fausch 2g Edwin P. (Phil) Pister Kathryn Boyer 3 Biodiversity, Biogeography, and Conservation of North American Desert Fishes Christopher W. Hoagstrom, Derek D. Houston, and Norman Mercado-Silva 4 Living with Aliens: Nonnative Fishes in the American Southwest Peter B. Moyle 5 Current Conservation Status of Some Freshwater Species and Their Habitats in México María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano, Armando J. Contreras-Balderas, Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos, and María Elena García-Ramírez 6 Ghosts of Our Making: Extinct Aquatic Species of the North American Desert Region Jack E. Williams and Donald W. Sada Section 2. Racing to Collapse 7 Running on Empty: Southwestern Water Supplies and Climate Change Brad Udall 8 Mining Hidden Waters: Groundwater Depletion, Aquatic Habitat Degradation, and Loss of Fish Diversity in the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion of Texas Gary P. Garrett, Megan G. Bean, Robert J. Edwards, and Dean A. Hendrickson 9 Southwestern Fish and Aquatic Systems: The Climate Challenge Jonathan T. Overpeck and Scott A. Bonar 10 Novel Drought Regimes Restructure Aquatic Invertebrate Communities in Arid-Land Streams Kate S. Boersma and David A. Lytle 11 The Exotic Dilemma: Lessons Learned from Efforts to Recover Native Colorado River Basin Fishes Brandon Albrecht, Ron Kegerries, Ron Rogers, and Paul Holden Section 3. Improving the Odds 12 Applying Endangered Species Act Protections to Desert Fishes: Assessment and Opportunities Matthew E. Andersen and James E. Brooks 13 The Value of Specimen Collections for Conserving Biodiversity Adam E. Cohen, Dean A. Hendrickson, and Gary P. Garrett 14 Conservation Genetics of Desert Fishes in the Genomics Age Thomas F. Turner, Thomas E. Dowling, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, Megan J. Osborne, and Tyler J. Pilger 15 Long-Term Monitoring of a Desert Fish Assemblage in Aravaipa Creek, Arizona Peter N. Reinthal, Heidi Blasius, and Mark Haberstich 16 Human Impacts on the Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Restoration Potential of Southwestern Rivers Mark C. Stone and Ryan R. Morrison 17 Conservation and Ecological Rehabilitation of North American Desert Spring Ecosystems Donald W. Sada and Lawrence E. Stevens Section 4. Searching for Recovery 18 Oases: Finding Hidden Biodiversity Gems in the Southern Sonoran Desert Michael T. Bogan, Carlos Alonso Ballesteros-Córdova, Scott E. K. Bennett, Michael H. Darin, Lloyd T. Findley, and Alejandro Varela-Romero 19 Recent Discoveries and Conservation of Catfishes, Genus Ictalurus, in México Alejandro Varela-Romero, Carlos Alonso Ballesteros-Córdova, Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos, Sergio Sánchez-Gonzalez, and James E. Brooks 20 Ecology, Politics, and Conservation of Gila Trout David L. Propst, Thomas F. Turner, Jerry A. Monzingo, James E. Brooks, and Dustin J. Myers 21 Large-River Fish Conservation in the Colorado River Basin: Progress and Challenges with Razorback Sucker Kevin R. Bestgen, Thomas E. Dowling, Brandon Albrecht, and Koreen A. Zelasko 22 Assisting Recovery: Intensive Interventions to Conserve Native Fishes of Desert Springs and Wetlands Sean C. Lema, Jennifer M. Gumm, Olin G. Feuerbacher, and Michael R. Schwemm 23 Restoration of Aquatic Habitats and Native Fishes in the Desert: Some Successes in Western North America Anthony A. Echelle and Alice F. Echelle Section 5. Exploring Our Future 24 The Devils Hole Pupfish: Science in a Time of Crises Kevin P. Wilson, Mark B. Hausner, and Kevin C. Brown 25 Politics, Imagination, Ideology, and the Realms of Our Possible Futures Christopher Norment 26 Searching for Common Ground between Life and Extinction Christopher W. Hoagstrom, Kevin R. Bestgen, David L. Propst, and Jack E. Williams   Acknowledgments List of Contributors Index

About the Author :
David L. Propst is adjunct professor and associate curator in the Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico. He is coauthor of Fish of the Rockies. He lives in Albuquerque, NM. Jack E. Williams is emeritus senior scientist for Trout Unlimited. Most recently, he is coeditor of Trout and Char of the World. He lives in Oregon’s Rogue River Valley. Kevin R. Bestgen is a senior research scientist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology as well as director of the Larval Fish Laboratory at Colorado State University. He lives in Fort Collins, CO. Christopher W. Hoagstrom is professor in the Department of Zoology at Weber State University. He lives in Ogden, UT.

Review :
"Many see the arid lands of western North America as a stretch of dry, flyover territory, the setting for shoot-'em-up cowboy movies and the venue for arguments over water rights. This volume edited by Propst, Williams, Bestgen, and Hoagstrom will completely shatter those supercilious projections. Conservation of desert fishes was introduced in Battle against Extinction,edited by W. L. Minckley and James Deacon. A group of passionate experts in biodiversity, conservation, history, hydrology, and politics expand the subject in this excellent exploration of the land-water-bioconservation ethic for both sides of the RioGrande. Adding to its attraction as a textbook, a deep dive by researchers will reward with new lines of inquiry. The photographs are striking and instructive, tables are crisp, and the writing style is inviting. In particular, candid photographs of habitats and workers in the field offer readers an authentic view of the people, topics, and challenges the volume addresses. The index is extensive, and each chapter includes its own list of cited literature. This reviewer could not ask for more in a textbook for use in advanced classes, or as a reference work to be added to his personal bookshelf. . . . Highly recommended" “This book should appeal to anyone broadly interested in conservation and management of water resources, and specifically to conservation scientists, natural resource managers, and fish biologists. There are strong historical threads woven throughout the chapters, and it serves both as a tribute to pioneering legends of early desert fish conservation and a synthesis of ongoing work that reveals successes, failures, and challenges in the face of human populations expanding into arid regions, the increasing conflicts over exploitation of water and land, and the overriding and worsening impacts of human-mediated climate change. The breadth of topics presented and synthesis of complex research outcomes as applied to conservation challenges are impressive. A valuable addition to the conservation literature that will be read widely and cited extensively.”