Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center

The Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center mourns the passing of Ted Turner, who died on May 6, 2026, at his home in Florida at the age of 87.

In 2000, Turner received our World Ecology Award, now the Robert R. Hermann World Ecology Award, in recognition of his sustained commitment to environmental protection and his work to raise public awareness of biodiversity conservation.

Beyond his career in media, Turner was a lifelong environmentalist and one of the largest private conservationists in the United States. He advocated for cleaner transportation, wilderness conservation, sustainable business practices, and the recovery of imperiled species — including the Mexican wolf, California condor, black-tailed prairie dog, and desert bighorn sheep. He managed the largest private bison herd in the world across his ranches in several states.

Named Time Magazine's Man of the Year in 1991 and the recipient of dozens of honorary degrees and civic honors, Turner used his platform and personal wealth in service of the natural world and the people who depend on it. His legacy will endure in the lands he protected and the species he helped bring back.

Join us next week for a Discover Series talk by our director, Dr. Aimee Dunlap! She'll be presenting "The Ecology and Evolution of Learning Across Species" for NextGen Precision Health on Tuesday, May 12th at the UMSL campus.

Attend in person or join virtually — registration link below.

https://events.zoom.us/ev/Au-uoIFw1cmTdUEioxnZ-hDH5_HFkEEHc2KLaoIjCXhxcZMPrM9z~AlBHalgsMq0PT1OVHB6MN1WGE79yCe7RtaW_X0lyYkG-1nlLRDaOBWxzsg

What a night.

In 1999, a PhD student sat in the audience at our World Ecology Award Gala, watching Jane Goodall accept the medal. Last week, she received it herself.

We were thrilled to present the Robert R. Hermann World Ecology Award to Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann. Dr. Lohmann is the President of the@mobotgarden, an , and one of the world's leading voices on plant biodiversity in the Amazon and Neotropics. She is the 27th recipient of the award and the second Harris Center alum to receive it.

In her keynote, Dr. Lohmann made the case that closing the gap on Earth's undescribed species will require a new generation of scientists fluent in data and technology but deeply grounded in hands-on plant biology and she celebrated St. Louis as one of the best places in the world to train them. We couldn't agree more.

To our supporters, partners, faculty, and students whose research was on full display throughout the evening, thank you for making it memorable.

📸 Derik Holtmann | UMSL

Welcome to desert fish day 4!

Today we explore our fish Mexican desert fish, the Conchos pupfish (Cyprinodon eximius). Unlike the other desert spring fish we’ve seen so far, this species occurs in rivers and associated tributaries. This doesn’t protect the species from the dangers of water overextraction however, as the Conchos River is the one of main water sources for communities in the area.

Conservation efforts at the San Antonio Zoo have successfully reintroduced populations of this species to the wild and recently won a conservation award for this work! I got to see this species at the San Antonio Zoo in 2025, and it was a truly amazing experience. These little fish are so colorful with many of them having bright blues throughout their heads and tails.

📸Fish photo credit: Lindsey Ekins (iNaturalist). Background removed with an online tool.