January 15: Melissa Amarello – A Tale of Two Trash Snakes

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Daryl

What can we learn from two snakes, in only 1 week, without capturing them? When a Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus) showed up in our yard we put the techniques and technologies we’ve recommended over the years to the test and were rewarded with more than we could have hoped for. And luckily for everyone else, we filmed and photographed the whole story, which I’ll share in this presentation.

Melissa’s lifelong fascination with snakes led her to work on a variety of projects on natural history and conservation of reptiles in Arizona, California, and Mexico. She received her B.S. in wildlife, watershed, and rangeland resources at the University of Arizona where she studied the anti-predator behavior of Mexican Lance-Headed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus polystictus) for her Honors Thesis. Her M.S. on Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus) social behavior at Arizona State University was partially supported by a National Science Foundation Fellowship.

After witnessing how negative attitudes can stifle conservation efforts, she incorporated education and outreach into her research to foster appreciation for snakes by sharing stories and videos of their behavior in the field. In the spring of 2014 she co-founded Advocates for Snake Preservation (ASP) with Jeff Smith, to change how people view and treat snakes. In 2017 they received the THS’ Jarchow Conservation Award for commitment and creativity in studying snake behaviors and tireless and continuous efforts to use scientific knowledge to advocate for snake conservation through outreach and social activism. She is a former co-chair of Southwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and currently serves as the Executive Director of ASP.

Where: Ward 3 Meeting Room | 1510 E Grant Rd | southeast corner of Grant and Vine

When: 15 January | 7:15pm

 

November 20 Presentation: Aquatic Habitat Design and Management in the Desert Southwest

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Don’t miss Dennis Caldwell’s virtual tour of aquatic habitats in the desert southwest.

Dennis Caldwell will take attendees of the November 20 THS meetup on a virtual tour of the aquatic habitats he has built, and discuss the species at stake.

When working to conserve threatened aquatic species in the southwestern US and northern Mexico, what you need most is water, permanent water free of non-natives. Nowhere in nature can you meet these criteria. Dennis will provide a virtual tour of the habitats he has built and the species at stake, as well as lessons learned.

About

Dennis Caldwell is an Arizona native, born in Sierra Vista, has a degree in Graphic Art and Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He worked for advertising agencies in Chicago from 1984-1989. In 1989, in the pursuit of happiness, he moved to Tucson, Arizona and started his own freelance design service.

Dennis has a life long passion for the natural world and has been involved with the Arizona Native Plant Society, Tucson Audubon, Casa Tortuga, Chicago Herpetological Society, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Biological Planning, Nature Conservancy, Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Sky Island Alliance, Cienega Watershed Partnership, Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership, Quitobaquito Rio Sonoyta Working Group, CEDO the Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, Cienega Corridor Conservations Council, Friends of Ironwood National Monument and the Tucson Herpetological Society, to name a few.

Besides his graphic arts business, Dennis is a self-taught biologist, mentored by many local conservation professionals, and contracts as a consultant and field biologist on conservation projects and endangered species recovery. Working with recovery efforts of aquatic species he developed construction skills for designing and building aquatic habitats to serve as refugia in a land and time of uncertain water future. Dealing with dwindling conservation funding sources, many of his pond construction projects involve developing lo-cost solutions as well as other challenges. To defer the personal cost of countless hours donated to these causes, he sells his wildlife art, watercolor prints at etsy.com/shop/CaldwellDesignArt

Primary threatened and endangered species studied include; Sonoran and Mojave desert tortoise, Chiricahua leopard frog, Tarahumara frog, lowland leopard frog, Western barking frog, Great Plains narrow-mouthed toad, Mojave fringe-toed lizard, flat-tailed horned lizard, Gila monster, Mexican beaded Lizard, Northern Mexican gartersnake, Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake, New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Tucson shovel-nosed snake, Rio Sonoita mud turtle, Rio Sonoita pupfish, Rio Sonoita longfin dace, Gila topminnow and Gila chub.

In September of 2001 Dennis was awarded the Jarchow Conservation Award for service in conservation of the herpetofauna of the North American Deserts. In 2014 he was a recipient of the 2013 Department of the Interior, Partners in Conservation Award.

Meeting Time:
7:15pm

Meeting Place:
City Ward 3 Meeting Room – 1510 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Southeast corner of Grant and Vine between Campbell and Mountain Avenues

Pre-meeting Eats:
Blue Willow – 2616 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719

Southeast block of Glenn and Campbell

October 16 Presentation: Field Herping in Mexico

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Join the Tucson Herpetological Society on October 18 for “Field Herping in Mexico” presented by Brandon Dietrich, who will discuss his findings on Tiger Rattlesnakes in the Peloncillo Mountains.

Brandon’s interest in reptiles began at a very young age, and he became interested and fascinated with their lives and the nature of their lives and habitats. At a young age, he explored the desert on his bicycle with friends to find animals. Thus, began a lifetime interest in field herping.

Brandon has contributed to the successful captive reproduction of many species in private ands public collections and authored care instructions for exotic animals, particularly vipers. He is also working on range extensions and documenting species in mountain ranges that are herpetologically unexplored.

Recently Brandon’s focus is on Tiger Rattlesnakes in the Peloncillo Mountains and collecting DNA and venom samples to determine if there is a difference between the Peloncillo Crotalus tigris and populations in Mexico. The Guadalupe Canyon population of Crotalus tigris is isolated and is a very different animal than those from other localities.

About:

Brandon has spent his entire life in Arizona, except for time served in the Marine Corps and Army Infantry. He retired from the military in 2016. Originally from Marana, AZ, he played football and was in Kenpo, Jui Jitsu, and kickboxing. He joined the Marine Corps at 18 and went to the infantry. Brandon has traveled to over 40 countries with a focus on Southeast Asia and Australia. He surfs, skydives, and scuba dives when he can.

Brandon went to school to be a certified mechanic on Harley Davidson and Kawasaki and is also a certified aircraft mechanic. He received a combat infantry badge for combat deployments to the Middle East. Even with many injuries and broken bones from combat, military service, and an extreme lifestyle, Brandon continued to herp.

Brandon has a vast appreciation for the Sky Islands and the diversity in each range. Much of his time is spent reading topographic maps and exploring habitat. The Mexican Sky Islands have many secrets remaining to be discovered.

Meeting Time:
7:15pm

Meeting Place:
City Ward 3 Meeting Room – 1510 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Southeast corner of Grant and Vine between Campbell and Mountain Avenues

Pre-meeting Eats:
Blue Willow

Southeast block of Campbell and Glenn

September 18 Presentation Changed: The Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)

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Michael Cardwell will informs us, and debunk misinformation, about the Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)

The Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) has been commonly characterized in both popular and scholarly publications for decades as the “most dangerous,” most deadly” and the “most aggressive” of rattlesnakes. Its venom is famously neurotoxic in most parts of its range, yet, amazingly, it is also highly variable geographically. Toxicologists have been intensely studying Mohave Rattlesnake venom for more than forty years and it is widely hypothesized that the cocktail of toxins in snake venoms is specifically adapted to each species’ diet and predatory behavior. Even so, almost no effort had been invested in understanding the natural history and ecology of Mohave Rattlesnakes until 2001.

Mike Cardwell, local wildlife biologist and adjunct researcher with San Diego State University, has been using radiotelemetry to study the private lives of rattlesnakes for the past 18 years – including the first long-term field study of Mohave Rattlesnakes. He will discuss the natural history and behavior of Mohave Rattlesnakes, as well as what we know about their venom and the injuries caused by their bites. Along the way, he will describe currently-recommended first aid measures and bust some common myths.

Among his many accomplishments, Mike co-hosted the first Biology of the Rattlesnakes symposium at Loma Linda University in 2005. He is co-editor of The Biology of Rattlesnakes (2008), authored the Mohave Rattlesnake species account for Rattlesnakes of Arizona (2016), and served on the Wilderness Medical Society panel that revised treatment guidelines for pitviper bites in North America (2015). Mike holds an MS degree in ecology, evolution and conservation. His original four-year Mohave Rattlesnake field study was prominently featured in the Animal Planet television series Venom ER.

Meeting Time:
7:15pm

Meeting Place:
City Ward 3 Meeting Room – 1510 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Southeast corner of Grant and Vine between Campbell and Mountain Avenues

Pre-meeting Eats:
Rubio’s Mexican Grill – 2906 N Campbell Ave – Tucson AZ 85719

Northeast block of Glenn and Campbell

August 21 Presentation: Self-Reflections of a Conservation Biologist – Taylor Edwards

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Self-Reflections of a Conservation Biologist

Taylor Edwards

Dr. Taylor Edwards, Associate Staff Scientist at University of Arizona Genetics Core, will present a self-evaluation of his research and how his experiences have shaped his approach as he moves forward in the future.

Taylor is a conservation geneticist whose primary research focus for the last 20 years has been the desert tortoise. He was instrumental in revising the taxonomy of this group into what are now three independent species, including the newly described “Goode’s thornscrub tortoise.”

Throughout his career, Taylor has sought out interdisciplinary collaboration and research projects that inform and promote species conservation. In 2019, Taylor was part of an exhibition at the University of Arizona Museum of Art as part of the Next-Generation Sonoran desert Researchers 6&6 Project: Six Artists, Six Scientists—Merging Views of the Sonoran Desert.

With artist Heather Green, he explored an isolated population of chuckwallas near La Cholla, Sonora, Mexico.This transformative experience exposed him to a transdisciplinary approach that has inspired his tactics toward conservation.

About Dr. Taylor Edwards:

Taylor first moved to Tucson in 1992 to work in the Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This was his first introduction to the Sonoran Desert, and he’s been a passionate advocate ever since. He is currently an Associate Staff Scientist at the University of Arizona Genetics Core where he has been involved with a variety of genetic projects from fish to plants to people, including helping to oversee the public testing for National Geographic and IBM’s “Genographic Project.”

Taylor earned his Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and then both his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Management from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Turtle Conservancy, a Scientific Advisor for the Turner Foundation for the Bolson Tortoise Captive Breeding and Repatriation Project and past president of the Tucson Herpetological Society. Taylor also works with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions as a “National Geographic Expert” and has accompanied programs to US National Parks, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands.

Meeting Time:
7:15pm

Meeting Place:
City Ward 3 Meeting Room – 1510 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Southeast corner of Grant and Vine between Campbell and Mountain Avenues

Pre-meeting Eats:
Karuna’s Thai Plate – 1917 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Northeast block of Grant and Campbell

July 17th: Rattlesnakes In The Great White North – Dr. Karl Larsen et al.

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Rattlesnakes in the Great White North: An overview of research on the Western Rattlesnake in British Columbia, Canada

Karl Larsen, Marcus Atkins, Dana Eye, Stephanie Winton

The Western Rattlesnake reaches its northern limits in south-central British Columbia, Canada. This also represents the most northern limits for the entire assemblage of rattlesnake species. Winters here are long and cold, summers are short and relatively cool, and prey appears much more limited. This puts an enormous amount of natural ‘pressures’ on the rattlesnake, giving them relatively little time to complete their basic life history functions, such as feeding and reproduction. When human-caused impacts are added to this, the situation quickly can become grim for populations of the snake.

In this presentation, Dr. Larsen and graduate students Marcus Atkins, Dana Eye, and Stephanie Winton will give a bit of a tour through their various projects. The tour starts with an overview of the basic ecology of this snake in our region, then highlights work on different aspects of Western Rattlesnake conservation. This will include:

  1. A study to look at how land-management practices have altered (or not altered) snake populations over 30+ years
  2. An investigation into the use of traditional ‘rookeries’ by gravid females
  3. The impact of even low-traffic roads on the ability of the snake to persist in otherwise pristine habitat

About Dr. Larsen:

Karl Larsen is a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), in Kamloops, BC, Canada. His lifelong fascination and passion of snakes lead him to conduct his MSc studies on the most northernmost reptiles in the Western Hemisphere, namely the red-sided garter snakes that occur at 60ON latitude (in Canada’s Northwest Territories). Following that, he conducted his PhD research on the North American red squirrel, and then spent several years working with a forestry company as a wildlife-fire ecologist. He then took up a faculty position at TRU where he has ran a program focusing on the conservation biology of a wide range of species, ranging from pillbugs to elephants. However, snakes have remained a central focus throughout his career, and today he works with his student to investigate various aspects of the ecology and management issues facing snakes.

Meeting Time:
7:15pm

Meeting Place:
City Ward 3 Meeting Room – 1510 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Southeast corner of Grant and Vine between Campbell and Mountain Avenues

Pre-meeting Eats:
Karuna’s Thai Plate – 1917 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Northeast block of Grant and Campbell

 

June 19th Presentation: Herp Population Dynamics at Leslie Canyon NWR

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WHEN: Wednesday, June 19 at 7:15 pm
WHERE: Ward 3 City Building, 1510 E Grant Rd., Tucson, AZ

Mr. Bill Radke, Refuge Manager at Buenos Aires NWR, Leslie Canyon NWR, and San Bernardino NWR, will present a fascinating account of the population dynamics of reptiles and amphibians at Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge.

The presentation will focus on the exciting results of an intensive 15-year sampling project at Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge in Cochise County, Arizona, which culminated in October 2014.

Studies such as this one are important for helping document species richness, understanding ecological trends, investigating population dynamics and the roles of rare species, and in helping justify resource management decisions.

Not only did this study document population dynamics and “spikes”, information gleaned from this extraordinary effort included:

  • Species richness
  • Periods of activity
  • Success of various trapping techniques
  • Longevity information
  • Response to precipitation
  • Relative abundance

Additionally, the project resulted in the capture and identification of a new mollusk species, and helped with the determination of a new mammal species.

Join us for pre-meeting eats at 5:30 pm:
Blue Willow
2616 N Campbell Ave.
Tucson, AZ

May 15th Presentation: Komodo Dragons in the Field

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Thermoregulation, movement patterns and energy use by Komodo Dragons in the Field

Dr. Hank Harlow, Professor Emeritus, University of Wyoming

Hank Harlow is Professor Emeritus, Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming. He is interested in Comparative, Integrative, and Ecological Physiology of Vertebrates, Thermal Biology of Terrestrial Endotherms and Ectotherms, Biochemistry of Fat and Protein Utilization, Physiology of Stress, Spatial and Temporal Use of Terrestrial Landscapes. His studies have addressed animal adaptations to stressful environments, whether it is habitat loss influence on Sun bears in Cambodia, sea ice loss effect on Polar bear survival in the Arctic or invasive prickly pear cactus on big lizards in Indonesia. This talk will focus on addressing why it is not a large mammal, but a reptile, that is the top carnivore on five islands in Indonesia. The spatial and energy profiles of Komodo Dragons was created with the use of temperature loggers, VHF tracking, heart rate monitoring and respirometry to understand the behavioral and physiological adaptations of different size groups of dragons allowing them to coexist and effectively utilize limited resources.

When & Where:
7:15 p.m.

Tucson City Council Ward 3
1510 East Grant Rd.

Please join us for a pre-meeting gathering:

5:30 p.m. at Blue Willow
2616 N Campbell Ave.

 

April 17 Presentation: Herping with the Taliban in Afghanistan

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Ted Pappenfus, UC Berkeley, will share his experiences as a herpetologist in Afghanistan at the April 17 meeting of the Tucson Herpetological Society.

Ted is a research herpetologist at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. For over 25 years his field work has included expeditions to arid regions in West Asia, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Horn of Africa in Somalia and Eritrea. He tries to visit historic type localities to collect fresh specimens and tissues for DNA and morphological studies of amphibians and reptiles from these countries.

In the year 2000, he contacted the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan and asked them if he could come to Afghanistan to “catch some lizards”. Ted was surprised how willing the Taliban leadership was have him “come catch lizards”.

It took several months for the Taliban to arrange the trip. He was met at the Pakistan border town Quetta, smuggled across the border and driven to the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Osama bin Laden was living in Kandahar at the same time Ted was there, but due to conflicting schedules they never met.

Where:
Tucson City Council Ward 3
1510 East Grant Rd.

Please join us for a pre-meeting gathering:
When: at 5:30 PM at Rubio’s
Where: 2906 N Campbell

March 20 Presentation: Chasing Lizards in the Namib Desert

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20 March, 7:15 pm, Ward 3, 1510 E Grant Rd, Tucson.

Chasing lizards in the Namib Desert:  Insights into the ecology of sand lizards and day geckos, presented by Ian White Murray
Download the meeting announcement here:

Meeting Location:

Tucson City Council Ward 3
1510 East Grant Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85719

(Southeast corner of Grant and Vine, between Campbell and Mountain Avenue)

Pre-meeting dinner at Rubios 2906 Campbell, 5:30 pm.

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