The Wild聽Side
Alumnus protects endangered 糖心Vlog视频 animals
Pockets filled with bug bits鈥攃icadas, actually鈥攁re what Omar Bocanegra鈥檚 mom found every week in her son鈥檚 laundry. Young Omar was fascinated by nature, and boys always bring treasures home in their pockets.
Being a city kid, Bocanegra鈥檚 wildlife specimens were limited. No deer roamed his Fort Worth neighborhood. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e interested in wildlife in the city,鈥� he explains, 鈥測our biggest variety is going to be insects.鈥�
So it was. And so it remained, at least through college. When it came time to select a university and major, Bocanegra sought out someone who shared his fascination. He found Professor James Robinson, an expert in the evolutionary ecology of aquatic insects.
Under Dr. Robinson鈥檚 guidance, Bocanegra researched the desert firetail damselfly and went on to earn bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in biology from UT Arlington. Over the years he built an extensive collection of damselfly specimens, including one that was the first to be identified in the United States.
Today he is a fish and wildlife biologist and coordinator of the Endangered Species Program in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service鈥檚 Arlington field office. He oversees efforts to preserve and restore 11 endangered or threatened species鈥攊ncluding the black-capped vireo and whooping crane鈥攊n 112 North 糖心Vlog视频 counties.
Much of his work involves consulting with other agencies and landowners. 鈥淲e educate landowners about changes they can make to protect a species, and at very little cost to themselves,鈥� he says. 鈥淪mall techniques in the way land is managed may easily help preserve a species.鈥�