The three killed were identified as biologist Dewey Stockbridge, wildlife technician Brandon White and veterinarian Bob Dittmar, according to a Sunday press release from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“No words can begin to express the depth of sadness we feel for the loss of our colleagues in this tragic accident,” Carter Smith, executive director of TPWD, said in the statement.
“These men were accomplished professionals, deeply loved and highly regarded by their peers and partners for the enormous passion, dedication and expertise they brought to their important work in wildlife management and veterinary medicine,” he said.
The helicopter pilot, a private contractor, survived the crash and was transported to the hospital in El Paso, according to the statement. TPWD has not released any information about the cause of the accident.
The group flew over TPWD’s Black Gap Wildlife Management Area in Brewster County to investigate desert bighorn sheep. The area borders Big Bend National Park and covers more than 100,000 acres, according to TPWD.
Texas wildlife officials have been instrumental in recovering numbers of desert bighorn sheep after the population declined due to disease and unregulated hunting, according to TPWD, which estimates the bighorn population in Texas in 2018 1,500.
Stockbridge worked for several years to preserve the species. In 2016, during an interview with Outside Magazine, he spoke about the importance of managing herds.
“If you reintroduce desert bighorn into a landscape like Elephant Mountain here, it’s really a trickledown effect,” he said. “There are several other species that benefit from being reintroduced into certain mountains.”
Officials conduct air surveys throughout the year to monitor population size and observe the animal’s behavior.
Dittmar joined the TPWD as the agency’s first staff veterinarian in 2014, according to the agency. Previously, he assisted in various projects with the agency and was in private practice in Kerrville, northwest of San Antonio.
“My wife tells everyone that I will make sure my grandparents are wild to enjoy in the future,” Dittmar said in an interview with TPWD in 2014. “I will be a part of helping make sure we populations are in wild health, and see it more from a veterinary medical point of view than strictly a management and biological point of view. “
The Texas Department of Public Safety, Federal Aviation Administration and Texas Game Wardens are investigating the crash.
“Our hearts are sorry today for those who died in this tragic accident,” said Texas Subscriber Greg Abbott.
Melissa Alonso and Chandler Thornton of CNN contributed to this report.
