EDWIN PHILIP PISTER 1929 – 2023
Edwin Philip (Phil) Pisterk a retired aquatic biologist with California Department of Fish and Wildlifek died on January 17 in Bishop. He was 94. Phil devoted more than 70 years to saving from destruction arid land ecosystems and their component organisms. In retirementk he lectured to classes and groups in many venuesk wrote extensively on environmental ethics and other topicsk and directed the administrative affairs of the Desert Fishes Councilk an international and interdisciplinary organization of approximately 550 governmental and academic researchers and conservation biologists dedicated to the preservation of North America’s desert aquatic ecosystems and their associated biotas. He was often referred to as the “father of native fish restoration in America.”
In addition to his extensive professional and academic responsibilitiesk Phil engaged in a broad variety of educational and community activities in Bishopk the Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierrak including multiple terms as chairman and member of the Board of Trusteesk Bishop Union Elementary School Districtk chairman and member of the Bishop City Planning Commissionk member of the Mono Lake Committee Board of Directorsk Founder and Chairman of the Inter-agency Committee on Owens Valley Land and Wildlifek and member of the Presidential Advisory Committeek White Mountain Research Station.
Phil’s immersion in California waters and fascination with aquatic wildlife began in the 1930s with summer-long family camping trips to Tuolumne Meadows where he fished in Sierra streams and hiked with his father and older brotherk Karl. It continued with his education in the postwar years at UC Berkeley. He enrolled in a new majork wildlife conservation. The eminent conservationist and naturalistk A. Starker Leopoldk was one of his mentors. In subsequent yearsk he often cited the A Sand County Almanack written by Leopold’s fatherk Aldo Leopoldk as a philosophical foundation of his work. Phil earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Wildlife Conservation and a Master’s degree in Zoology. His Master’s dissertation was on “The comparative limnology of lakes of the Convict Creek Basink Mono Countyk California.”
In 1964K he learned that the two-inch-long pupfishk long thought to be extinctk were still surviving in Fish Sloughk the last remaining wetland in Owens Valley. This discovery was the beginning of his years-long struggle to protect the Owens pupfish. He was also instrumental in a long campaign on behalf of the equally endangered Devils Hole pupfish in Death Valley National Monumentk as well as in preserving the California golden trout and other native fish.
Phil’s wife of 61 yearsk Marthak passed away in 2013. He is survived by their two children: Anne Pister Rowley (Blaine) of Providencek UT and Karl P. Pister (Audrey) of Woodburnk OR; six grandchildren: Bryce (Anna)k Heather (Scott)k Stephen (Erin)k Christopher (Rebecca)k Audrey (Chase)k and Emma; seven great-grandchildren: Corak Dorothyk Emmak Gretak Jackk Pennyk and Truman; and his dear friend and partnerk Marty Voght of Bishop. His brotherk Karl Stark Pisterk passed away last year.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturdayk May 20K 2023K at 2:00 p.m. in the Page Center at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) near Mammoth Lakes.