John K Konecny Memorial Biology Scholarship Fund

The purpose of this campaign is to establish a Scholarship Fund in John Konecny's name to support students seeking degrees in ornithology, wildlife biology, conservation biology and related fields in southern California.

In Memoriam

John Konecny

June 19, 1956 – July 24, 2022

It is with great sorrow that the family of John Karl Konecny announce his passing on July 24, 2022 at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, CA. Born June 19, 1956, John was the adored only child and the pride and joy of the late Rita nee Mavor and Karl Konecny, retired Lt. Col., US Army. Originally from Illinois, John attended St. Pius Catholic School in Lombard, IL, and graduated Centurion (Willowbrook) H.S. class of 1970. John traded in the windy city and cold winters to attend college at California State University, Long Beach and never looked back. He graduated with a degree in Marine Biology 1982 and later became a Certified Ecologist. He was passionate about many things especially his Maine Coon show cats, all types of wildlife (particularly birds), Civil War history and cooking. He loved to travel and he was the consummate Jimmy Buffett "Parrothead". His remarkable legacy will be remembered in the work he did for many organizations throughout San Diego County. John leaves behind his cherished cats Man-O-War (Manny) and Will Scarlet; his dear cousins Barbara (Hetzel) Pope, George Pope (Diane), Lori Leo (Mark), Dan Pope (Renee); his dear friend and mentor Richard Zembal; his close friends and many colleagues in the birding world and in southern California conservation biology. John was predeceased by his parents, aunts, uncles, his dear cousin and godfather William Hetzel and William's daughter Mary Leaman (Ron). He will live in our hearts forever and will be deeply missed.

John Konecny became a practicing Field Biologist in 1981, conducting studies and surveys of the wildlife of southern California focused upon varied rare species including the California least tern, western snowy plover, least Bell’s vireo, southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, California gnatcatcher, Yuma and light-footed Ridgway’s rails, California black rail, Belding’s savannah sparrow, Gila woodpecker, Mohave ground squirrel, flat-tailed horned lizard, arroyo toad, and desert tortoise. He became a Research Associate with the Clapper Rail Study Team in 1998, assisting with the range-wide annual census, captive breeding program, banding, and radio telemetry for light-footed Ridgway’s rail in the coastal marshes of the southern CA Bight. He also authored a protocol for presence/absence surveys for the light-footed rail and was a contributing author in most of the annual survey reports. He wrote objective reports and summaries, developed recommendations and alternatives for resource protection and enhancement; investigated and determined habitat requirements and recovery needs for various wildlife species, including listed endangered and threatened species, candidate species for listing, and other species of special or local concern.

John worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for six years, establishing his own consulting firm in 1998, Konecny Biological Services in Escondido, CA. One of his first regular, long running (1986 – 2001) field jobs involved population monitoring of California least terns and western snowy plovers for the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, Port of Los Angeles, United States Navy, and Army Corps of Engineers, on various colony sites in San Diego and LA Counties where he mapped nesting sites and collected data on colony makeup, clutch size, hatching and fledging success, predator impacts, and banded and weighed chicks. He also conducted tern foraging surveys at the Naval Submarine Base and Naval Amphibious Base in San Diego, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

John contracted with dozens of environmental firms over the years, but early on he was a Seasonal Aide for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1985, sampling San Diego County sportfish catch aboard fishing vessels at sea. He recorded data on species composition, length frequency, fishing time, and fishing mode, also providing baseline data on marine mammal observations and interactions, and a live bait study.

John held federal and state permits for working with the endangered species to which he dedicated his lifelong pursuits, was a Master Bird Bander and an active participant in many professional societies including: American Ornithologists Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, California Native Plant Society, Colonial Waterbird Society, Cooper Ornithological Society, Desert Tortoise Council, Pacific Seabird Group, The Wildlife Society, and Western Field Ornithologists.

John wrote hundreds of articles and reports, participated in the surveys, and coauthored a chapter in a Guide to the Birds of the Salton Sea, ISBN 1-886679-21-5. When not working he enjoyed birding, particularly the seabirds of the Hawaiian Islands and Pacific Rim, nature, specialized dancing, his cats, and beer. He looked forward to retirement with new knees in 2023. We will miss his thoughtful insights into endangered species recovery and tireless efforts on behalf of southern California wildlife.

To most of the SoCal biologists who knew him, John was a good friend, colleague and a wealth of ornithological and T & E species knowledge. He also was a consultant who did things right, remembered who he was really working for (the resources) and strived to do the job well. Part of that motivation likely came from his years at the Carlsbad USFWS and his mentors there. SoCal species have lost a friend and protector.