Norma Fowler Receives George B. Fell Lifetime Achievement Award

Norma Fowler, a professor emerita in the Department of Integrative Biology at The University of Texas at Austin, received the George B. Fell Lifetime Achievement Award at the national meeting of the Natural Areas Association (NAA) earlier this month. 

Fowler received the award for her contributions to the stewardship of natural areas through her research on the use of prescribed fire, herbivory, invasive species, and population dynamics in Texas landscapes, including documenting the ecological impacts of the U.S./Mexico border wall. Her research has been foundational to shaping and informing land management practices across the country and elevated national awareness of how sensitive habitats and rare species were threatened by construction.

Fowler is also dedicated to mentorship and community building. Throughout her career, she trained generations of students who have gone on to contribute to the fields of conservation biology and restoration ecology at various agencies, universities, and NGOs. 

The George B. Fell Lifetime Achievement Award is the NAA’s highest award, reserved for exceptional achievements in any of the areas in which the Natural Areas Association is concerned. It recognizes top-of-career individuals who “exhibit the highest qualities of the profession and who have significantly advanced natural area identification, protection, stewardship or research, and the mission of the NAA.”  

The NAA was founded in the early 1970s by George B. Fell to provide science-based programs and services to natural area practitioners and researchers to inform best land management practices. They are dedicated to protecting biodiversity for current and future generations.