Phil Pister saved the last Owens pupfish from extinction in 1969

For most people, conservation is associated with large mammals, forests or national parks. Phil Pister spent his life proving that the survival of tiny desert fish could matter just as much. The California fisheries biologist became known for an extraordinary moment in 1969 when he realised that the last remaining Owens pupfish were in immediate danger. With no time to spare, he carried two heavy buckets containing the species across rough desert ground to a safer refuge. For a short distance, the future of the fish depended entirely on one person. Pister died in January 2023 at the age of 94, leaving behind a conservation legacy that continues to shape efforts to protect some of North America's rarest freshwater fish.How Phil Pister rescued the last Owens pupfish in 1969Phil Pister worked for the California Department of Fish and Game, later renamed the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, where he focused on desert fisheries across the Owens Valley and eastern Sierra.His defining moment came on 18 August 1969 after colleagues discovered that the pond holding the world's last known Owens pupfish population was drying rapidly. The team began preparing the fish for relocation...