Vol. 25 (2005), No. 8

August’s speaker: Dav Kaufman “Herping in the Holy Land” Adopted!

MHS Member Gives a Special Sulcata Another Go

Giant Robot Chameleon! see page 8

A UGUST 2005

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Information edited/removed to respect privacy concerns.

WEB VERSION

THE NEWSLETTER O F THE

Board of Directors

BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 10 CHURCH STREET SOUTHEAST, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55455-0104

President Randy Blasus

T h e

Vice President Sean Hewitt

M i n n e s o t a

H e r p e t o l o g i c a l

Recording Secretary Barb Buzicky

S

Membership Secretary George Richard

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V OICE M AIL : 612.624.7065 • MHS W EBPAGE : HTTP :// WWW. MNHERPSOC . ORG M H S G R O U P E M A I L : H T T P : / / W W W . G R O U P S . YA H O O . C O M / G R O U P / M N H E R P S O C

Treasurer Nancy Haig

August 2005

Newsletter Editor Asra Halvorson Members at Large Tony Gamble

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The Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to: • Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians; • Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians; • Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

Fred Bosman Mike Bush Jodi L. Aherns

Committees Adoption Sarah Richard Education Jan Larson Library Tim Banobitz Webmaster Anke Reinders theMHSwebmaster@yahoo.com

The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’s activities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources.

General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday conflict). The meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.

Submissions to the Newsletter Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronic file format if possible. See inside back cover for ad rates.

Submissions may be sent to: The Minnesota Herpetological Society Attn: Newsletter Editor Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St. SE. Minneapolis, MN 55455.0104

Copyright 2005, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, noncommercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the MHS Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

Turtle shooting draws criticism Some, including wildlife control expert, say Exeter officer’s action was overkill.

By Kevin Amerman Reprinted from http://www.timesleader.com Posted on July 10, 2005 PENNSYLVANIA— Some animal handlers and local residents question why an Exeter police sergeant shot a snapping turtle twice in the head Friday after it had wandered onto a resident’s yard.

Cindy Starke, a shelter manager for the Luzerne County SPCA, said she was not on the scene Friday and doesn’t know all of the circumstances, but believes the turtle should not have been shot.

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“You’re talking about a serious public relations nightmare when an officer shoots an animal,” said Jason Carter, a certified wildlife control professional who works for ACE Bat and Wildlife Control, which removes animals from residential areas. “In my professional opinion, I don’t think it’s necessary for a police officer to use deadly force in a residential area when an animal is posing no immediate danger.”

Carter said shooting an animal can be justified in certain cases. For example, if a fox or some other wild animal is posing a threat. But he said snapping turtles, which tend to move slowly, don’t pose that type of danger.

“Turtles are slow and cumbersome. It’s not like they’re going to catch up with you. I’m surprised (it was shot). Put it back in the water. That’s what I would have done if I had been there.”

The turtle, estimated to be about 50 pounds, crept onto the Wyoming Avenue yard of James Fino on Friday morning. Fino said he tried to poke the turtle away with a broomstick and the turtle broke it into two pieces with a quick snap of his jaw. Exeter police Sgt. Len Galli was called to the scene and after the turtle snapped at him, he pumped two bullets into its head. Fino said he called police fearing the turtle would bite someone.

“It wasn’t a life-or-death matter,” he said. “It could have been safely removed.”

“If it can snap a broomstick, it can do the same with fingers, especially children’s fingers,” Starke said. “But I would have definitely researched other options.”

“Usually we say to officers, ‘Stick to the twolegged animals.’ ”

Starke said the turtle could have been covered with a blanket, then lifted and relocated. She said in situations like this, authorities can call the SPCA for advice.

Carter said the turtle, which was likely lost and confused, could have been relocated by his company for about $75. He said authorities in Monroe County, especially the Pocono Mountain Regional Police, routinely call his company to remove animals rather than handling the matter themselves.

Galli defended his actions on Saturday. He said he tried to scoop the turtle up to relocate it and it snapped at him. He laughed when he was told people were upset.

(Turtle shooting continued on page 7) Page 3

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

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News, Notes & Announcements July Adoption Report

By Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair

Important note:

There will be NO adoptions at the August meeting.

Please do not bring in any animals or things to return to the

The following animals came in, and most were placed: Alligator 5 Red eared sliders 2 Leopard Geckos 4 Garter Snakes 3 Iguanas Box turtle Hinge back turtle Ackie Chinese Water Dragon 2 Fat tail geckos Rat snake

Hands-On Opportunity!

General Mills Picnic August 9, 2005 4pm-7pm (They’ll feed you plenty of good stuff!)

Adoption Chair, as she will be absent from the meeting on a vacation out of the country.

If there is an emergency, someone will be monitoring the phones, and adoptions will resume at the September meeting.

Cover Photo: Laurie Mahling Page 4

To sign up or to get more July Raffle Donors Thanks to the following people for generously donating to the monthly raffle: Shanon Tayler books, turtle crafts, stuffed animals Marilyn Blasus misc. items

details, contact Jan Larson, MHS Education Chair.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

More Bull than Bullsnake and More Milk than Milksnake-- It’s State Fair Time Again!

We are looking for volunteers and animals to help in the DNR’s reptile display at the MN State Fair from August 25 to September 5. Volunteers are needed to check animals each day of the fair. Work is minimal, and the reward is a pair of FREE tickets into the fair. If you don’t think you can make it, maybe your animal could. We need the following animals to fill the display inside the DNR building.

Herps Needed for the DNR State Fair Display: Bullsnake Milksnake Hognose Foxsnake Garter snake Turtles (of a small/medium size): Snapping turtle Painted turtle Wood turtle Blanding’s turtle We may consider other snakes and turtles if we can’t find what we need.

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aquariums for separating the different sizes.

Snakes will be housed separately and each will have a large, clear water bowl. Animals should not be fed for two weeks prior to the fair, so they will be ‘cleaned out’ and thus less likely to make a mess in the display – visitors don’t need to see poop. Marilyn will accept the animals a day or two before the fair; arrangements will need to be made with her. Accordingly, the animals will need to be picked up the day after the fair.

We are looking for a herper (or two) to volunteer per day – you will receive a pair of free passes for the fair. Parking is not provided. Total time commitment is minimal, but volunteering involves being at the fair for a good portion of the day. Volunteers don’t need to be there at opening, but it would be ideal if they were there before noon. The latest preferred arrival time would be early afternoon, as the animals should be checked at midday to insure they are weathering the temperature OK. Duties during the day consist of viewing the animals for problems, maybe every 3 hours. If any problems do arise during the day, you will need to try to solve it or get a hold of the emergency contacts. If you are attending a concert / show in the grandstand for the evening, you shouldn’t sign up for that day as you may need to be available at 9 PM. Before 9 PM, check on the animals; if everyone has water and is clean, you are done! If cleaning or maintenance needs to be done, you will need to wait until they close the building at 9 PM to complete any tasks. As it is very disruptive to the flow of people, we are asked not to mess with the animals when the building is open, unless there is a serious problem. All cleaning supplies, equipment, etc. will be behind the display. Any tasks should take no more than a few minutes and you will be on your way.

The reptiles need to just sit and look ‘pretty’ as people view them. All animals need to be in good, healthy condition. The prolonged display period in an uncontrolled environment may be detrimental to animals not in prime condition.

Sick animals will not be accepted for this activity. The snakes should be full-grown (except the bull – for that we want a young adult) – this way the onlookers can see them easily in the display.

As stated above, the turtles can be small (but not baby size) to medium. We will have two (State Fair continued on page 11)

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

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A Sequel

by Laurie Mahling

It took me over a month to discover that Moose Ann had a handicap. Each day when I came home from work there was evidence that she had been moving around in her enclosure, but by the time I got home she was tucked snugly in her house, oblivious to my excitement over having another sulcata.

“Another sulcata?” asked my husband, incredulously. “You can’t be serious!” “Well somebody from Minnesota will adopt it,” I replied, “so it might as well be me.” I had finally mustered up the courage to tell him about the juvenile sulcata tortoise that MHS had up for adoption. It had been available for two months and needed a home. “Besides,” I reasoned, “other people keep sulcatas successfully in Minnesota, so maybe Fancy was unique, maybe this one will be different.”

Fancy was my first sulcata. I adopted him as a juvenile, from MHS in 1997. Seven years later I wrote an article for the MHS newsletter, and Page 6

shortly after the publication of that article I had to admit that I was fooling myself if I thought Fancy was happy. Winter in Minnesota seems to go from September through May, and during that time Fancy paced incessantly in his room. I decided he needed to live someplace where he could be outside all year, and contacted a sulcata rescue in central Florida. They were happy to take him, so my husband and I, who teach in the same school, worked a miracle and got a week off in April of 2003 to drive Fancy to his new home.

We loved the place and the people, and though we cried as we drove away (Fancy was busy munching grass), we knew we had done the right thing. We have missed him but have gotten regular e-mail updates from his Florida home and each of their tortoises has its own page on their web site. We also send them a sizable donation in Fancy’s honor at Christmas to help with expenses. He remains a part of our lives.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

Fancy had grown to a strapping 48 pounds by the time he made his trip to Florida. Though I prided myself on my husbandry, I’ve realized since that I was doing a lot of things wrong, and I was eager to try again. A new opportunity had presented itself, and though I knew my husband’s misgivings were justified, I wanted that little tortoise! So, in mid March, a very shy Moose Ann came to live with us . It wasn’t until she started to feel more comfortable and secure around me (the food lady) that she began to toddle around in my presence, and that’s when I noticed that she walked with a limp. She doesn’t seem to have a full range of motion in her right front leg. Though she won’t win any turtle races, her handicap doesn’t seem to prevent her from getting where she wants to go, and I finally found a water container that she can get in and out of easily. She seems happy and content. Though she is too young for her gender to be determined, I’ve decided that she must be a girl, as she is so different from Fancy in every way. She is mellow and much less antsy; she doesn’t seem driven like Fancy was. Whether this is due to gender, age, personality or better husbandry, I don’t know, but I hope it lasts.

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(Turtle shooting continued from page 3)

“It’s not like it’s an endangered species,” he said. “God forbid some kid was hurt. It tried to bite two of us. What was I going to do? It was huge, I’m telling you huge.”

Galli’s actions met with disapproval from regular citizens as well.

“It’s ridiculous. This guy should be fined,” said Charlie Garzilli of Mountain Top, who said he grew up near a lake and has been around turtles for much of his life. “I can’t believe a sergeant in a police force doesn’t know better.”

“If you poke it with a stick, of course the turtle’s going to bite it,” Garzilli said.

John Ferrara of Harvey’s Lake, a former hunter, called the shooting “unnecessary.”

“How could you do that? This turtle could have been alive for 50 years,” Ferrara said. “Do you really think you couldn’t run away from it? That’s ridiculous. He didn’t have to shoot it.” §

If, down the road, Moose Ann begins to show signs of discontent, Florida will always be an option. In the meantime it’s so much fun having a sulcata again! I am thankful to MHS for providing me with the opportunity to “try again,” and for the people whose advice and encouragement helped me in my decision to adopt Moose Ann. My husband jokes that Moose Ann is proof that I have no common sense. I prefer to think she is proof of my unflappable optimism. Whatever you want to call it, Moose Ann lucked out and so did I. That’s all that really matters. §

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

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Robot show reveals animals’ survival secrets

specific organ or structure of the real animals.”

Adults and kids in Hong Kong can explore the biomechanics of complex animal robots to discover real animals’ survival secrets, at the Robot Zoo exhibition at the Science Museum.

Machinery in the robot animals simulates the body parts of their real-life counterparts. In the robot animals, muscles become pistons, intestines become filtering pipes and brains become computers.

The Robot Zoo exhibition is a popular traveling children’s exhibit which has been staged in the US, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Eight larger-than-life-size animated robots are on display. They include a chameleon with video screens covering its body, a rhino with a detachable head, a giant squid with 18-foot tentacles, a platypus wearing goggles, a house fly with a 10foot wingspread, a 9-foot-long grasshopper, a bat equipped with a loudspeaker and a giraffe whose head and neck alone stretch 9 feet tall.

Science Museum Assistant Curator Eddie Ng told news.gov.hk this exhibition originated from a children’s pictorial book called The Robot Zoo. It aims to reveal the magic of nature as a master engineer by showing animals’ structures and explaining how they work.

Visitors can not only observe the exhibits, they can also manipulate them. For example, they can trigger a joystick to move the robot chameleon’s eyes, tongue and head. They can even change the robot’s body color by pressing different buttons.

Interactive games dazzle youngsters Apart from the robots, more than a dozen interactive games have also been set up to illustrate fascinating real-life characteristics of animals.

In the game called “Tongue Gun”, people can

Animals recognized as complex machines Mr. Ng said animals can be recognized as complex machines equipped with tools for survival as they have adapted to the environment by having sophisticated systems for moving, eating and other vital functions.

“Unlike other robot displays which usually focus on technology and robots’ appearance, this one helps visitors relate each mechanic part of the robots to a Page 8

photo from news.gov.hk

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

August 2005

trigger a joystick on the model of a robot chameleon’s head to fire a long tongue at insect targets. It shows how the reptile catches its food.

People can blend into their surroundings like a chameleon does in the game called “Hide and Seek”. Wearing a coat that matches the background, people can watch themselves appear and disappear on a video monitor.

The Swat the Fly activity tests participants’ reac-

MHS BOARD MEETING REVIEW July 9, 2005

by Barb Buzicky, Recording Secretary The Board Meeting was called to order at 6:25 PM CDT at the St. Paul Student Center, Room 202, a voting quorum was present.

Board Members not present were Jodi Aherns, Mike Bush, Tony Gamble. Non-Board Members present were Jeff LeClere, Sarah Richard, Liz Bosman, Marilyn Blasus, and Michelle Hewitt.

Minutes from the October 2, 2004, hardcopy outstanding. Minutes from the May 7, 2005, meeting were approved with changes. Treasurer’s Report for February – December 2004 Revised, delay holding for 2004 MHS audit. Treasurer’s Reports for January thru June 2005, were approved with changes. Membership Reports for June and July 2005, were approved.

NOTE: There was no MHS Board Meeting on June 4, 2005, as a quorum was not present.

Meeting dismissed.

General Meeting Attendance for June 3, 2005, was 81.

General Meeting Attendance for July 8, 2005, was 80.

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tion time. Visitors can use their hands to “swat” each fly as it lights up.

Kids wearing special hand and knee pads can try to stick like house flies onto a slanted surface. Meanwhile, the Tortoise Track allows kids to try on a tortoise shell and see how it feels to “race” like a turtle around a track. § http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/050629/features/html/050629en05001.htm

President’s Report: Randy says that Board Members need to notify him as early as possible if they are not going to be able to attend the monthly Board Meeting.

There were no questions on the previous segment on Board Development called Crisis Management. This month’s segment is on managing volunteer programs. Randy read highlighted excerpts from the segment.

Vice-President’s Report: August: Dav Kaufman, Herping in the Holy Land, Trip to Israel September: Jessi Krebs, Giant Salamanders October: George Richard, Galapagos Islands November: TBA December: TBA Committee Reports: The Occasional Paper is close to completion. The Board moved and approved that 500 copies would be printed at a cost of $1636.11. Grants are closed for this year. Adoption issue: MHS member had animals released to AHS, then to MHS for holding.

Old Business: Chairperson is still needed for (Board Meeting continued on page 12) Page 9

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

JULY SPEAKER REVIEW

By Barbara Buzicky, Recording Secretary GUEST SPEAKER: Michelle Hewitt PROGRAM: The Trials and Tribulations of Owning Egg-Eating Snakes Our speaker tonight has been with the Minnesota Herpetological Society for some time, and she has been keeping many different species of snakes and lizards for about 14 years.

Tonight, Michelle presented a very interesting program on African Egg-Eating Snakes. The egg-eating snakes (which was totally her husband’s idea) she is working with has been going on for about 5 years. The egg-eating snakes that she has are from Africa.

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thornbush steppes, semi-deserts, and mountains up to about 2000 meters in elevation. They will not shy away from moister habitats as they are excellent swimmers. Specifically, the scabras have the largest distribution throughout Africa, and the atra is usually found above 4,921 feet in mountainous virgin forests. The inornata and the medici are both found in southern Africa. The fasciata ranges in Africa’s Gold Coast.

They search for eggs using their highly developed senses of smell and taste (tongue-flicking).

They are egg-layers having about 10 to 15 eggs per clutch with an incubation period of about three and a half months.

What now, an egg-eating snake? What is going on? Don’t normal snakes eat rodents? No, there are egg-eating snakes originating in Africa and India.

The Dasypeltis inornata mentioned above comes from the southeastern region of the Republic of South Africa. The egg-eating snakes of India are called Elachistodon, and they are from the Monotypic genus of the Colubridae, Elachistodontinae. They are found in Northern Bengal. They are about 80 centimeters in length, and they are a dark olive brown to blackish color with yellowish white spots and two white stripes.

These animals are extremely rare. They resemble the Ethiopian subfamily Dasypeltinae, but they are not related to it. The dorsal scales are smooth, and the central row of scales along the vertebral column are somewhat enlarged. The ecology and biology of this Indian egg-eater snake are not known. All in all, there are only about ten specimens of this species in museums.

The African ones are mentioned above, and they are of the Genus Colubridae, Dasypeltinae.

There are about six species in Africa: atra (black or dark); fasciata (banded, enveloped with banks, or striped); inornata (not ornate or decorated); medici (doctor); and scrabra (rough-feeling).

Egg-eating snakes biologically are designed just for eating eggs, which is their main diet. They have a very flexible jaw and nubs for teeth. They also have vertebral or esophageal “teeth” called hypapophyses that serrate the egg, causing the contents to spill into the snake’s stomach. The empty shell is not digested but is regurgitated.

They generally can be found in savannahs,

If they have no teeth, how do they defend them-

Her first two snakes (Dasypeltis inornatas) were purchased from a distributor, and one of them unfortunately met its demise soon after acquisition. The other one went on to thrive and lay approximately over 169 eggs over a two-year span. The Dasypeltis inornatas have the ability to retain sperm alive from one breeding for up to two years. Up until the present, she has owned four different species of Dasypeltis of which three have hatched many eggs and the babies were raised.

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

selves in the wild from predators? They use two forms of mimicry which are batesian and muellerian. Batesian refers to closely resembling an unpalatable or harmful species. Muellerian is when two venomous species have similar markings.

The egg-eating snake eats many varieties of bird eggs, such as: the Karoo Prinia (Prinia maculosa), the Rufous-eared Warbler (Malcorus pectoralis), the yellow canary (Serinus flaviventris), the grey-winged Francolin (Scleroptila africanus), the Green Wood-Hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus), and the laughing dove (Streptopelia senegalensis).

Egg-eating snakes can be a real challenge even for the experienced herper. They have a specialized diet, and they need specific temperatures and humidity needs that are speciesdependent. They have very finicky eating habits including any captive bred animals. If there are mistakes made in husbandry, the snake will perish. The female snakes need to have a nesting site and egg binding can be the result of not knowing your snake is a female. It is extremely important to be sure what sex you snake is.

Here are some important pointers for working with egg-eating snakes. Do not try to force feed your snake as the snake can acquire soft tissue damage to the mouth resulting in possible infections. Keep checking your habitat for temperature, humidity, and cage set-up as they need many hiding spots. Get different eggs from other sources to entice your snake to eat and keep eating; scent eggs with bird scent; shop around on the internet; raise your own birds; and note that some will eat other eggs, especially from reptiles.

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Michelle had many interesting slides of these snakes for identification. It was a very good and interesting presentation on a new snake topic: Egg-Eating Snakes. Thanks Michelle!

I found a rich resource list for surfing the net.

Start your search first from google.com entering the words snakes, egg-eaters. This will bring up many sites for surfing.

(State Fair continued from page 5) Two of the snake cages will be filled with MN’s venomous reptiles – these will be locked and are not to be touched. If any problems happen with them, there will be two ‘hot’ emergency contacts to call.

A meeting will be scheduled a day or two before the fair starts to meet with everyone who will be new to volunteering for the fair. This meeting will go over all details (where the sink is, etc.) and hand out free passes. Days are selected on a first call, first get basis, and the weekends go fast.

If you are interested or have any questions, get on the ‘stick’ (ha ha) and contact Marilyn.

Remember, to be successful, study the animals’ original habitat and seasonality for eggs and try to replicate that.

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(Board Meeting continued from page 9) State Fair MHS/DNR Display; contact Randy if interested. Midwest Symposium update: meetings are on the Thursday after the MHS Board Meeting at the St. Paul Student Center. The new rodent chairperson is Ananda Wold. The Renewal cards are coming back for the Membership Secretary. NSF check repaid to MHS. Activity Matching to Board member tabled, committee has not met yet.

New Business: A replacement is needed for a Member-At-Large position as Jodi Aherns has resigned. Sarah Richard will be filling the position until the end of term. Pet Expo being held February 18th & 19th, 2006, Marilyn will contact them for 3 spaces for $200 or less. Jan unable to move/use display board, suggestions were to have an assistant. MHS Logo Caps, tabled until next meeting. Renfest budget needs to be submitted before funds can be approved for spending. Meeting Sunday at the house on the festival grounds for getting detailed budget.

Last Minute Items: Parking was a problem last month for the MHS Meeting, as members received parking tickets. All parking must be in the center, which is free as long as there is nobody manning the parking booth. Leave the front spaces open for University Vehicles. Nancy Haig wanted clarification of how much the Treasurer can approve without the Board. Anka is doing the web page.

Meeting adjourned at 8:58 PM CDT. §

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Minnesota Herpetological Society Treasurer's Report Prepared by Nancy Haig, Treasurer For the Month Ending June 30, 2005 Beginning Checkbook Balance:

3,305.38

Income: Membership Library Fines Raffle Adoption Rodent Sales Small Item Sales Donations Midwest Other* Total Income:

195.00 0.00 117.00 80.00 362.00 22.00 75.00 358.00 110.00 1,139.00

Expense: Newsletter Other Printing and Postage Program Library Supplies Refreshments Rodent Cost Donations Other Total Expense:

0.00 74.35 50.00 35.00 12.77 0.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 222.12

Cash Increase/(Decrease):

1,096.88

Ending Checkbook Balance:

4,402.26

Placement of Cash Holdings Checking Account Savings Account Cash on Hand Total

4,402.26 6,951.17 150.00 11,503.43

Treasurer’s Notes: Income: MHS received a donation from Argosy University for $75.00. We are also beginning to receive registrations for the 21st Midwest Herp Symposium. *A returned check for $110.00 was paid in full.

Expense: MHS made a donation of $50.00 to the Arizona State University Foundation for their DAPTF Frogleg project.

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G E T Y O U R M E S S A G E TO Y O U R TA R G E T A U D I E N C E W I T H A 1 / 4 PA G E A D . $ 10 P ER MONT H $ 11 0 P E R Y E A R *

*12th month is free on a one year commitment Advertising Policies MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY regarding the health or legality of any animal, or the quality or legality of any product or service advertised in the MHS Newsletter. Any ad may be rejected at the discretion of the Newsletter Editor. Due to space limitations, unpaid and complimentary advertisements are subject to occasional omission.

MHS AD RATES Business card 1/4 Page 1/2 Page Full Page

$5/Month $55/Year* $10/Month $110/Year* $20/Month $220/Year* $40/Month $440/Year*

* Note: 12th month is free on a one year commitment

Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be ran three consecutive months, after which time they may be resubmitted. Corresponding members are allowed a complimentary business card advertisement monthly as space permits. Due to federal restrictions on Non-profit mailing permits, we are not allowed to run ads for travel, credit or insurance agencies.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Editor, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of the General Meeting for inclusion in the next newsletter. Make checks payable to: Minnesota Herpetological Society.

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application New

Name

Renewal

Address

Membership#

City, State, Zip,

Type

Phone

Check #

Herp related interests

Active Memberships:

Email

Sustaining ($60/year)

Contributing ($30/year)

List in MHS Directory?

Yes

No

Basic ($15/year)

Corresponding Memberships: Commercial ($25/year 2 Business Card Ads/year) Required check info. Drivers Lic # State DOB Please enclose the proper payment with your application. Make Checks Payable To: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Membership is for 12 months from the date of approval, a receipt will be sent only upon request. Mail to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET SE MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

Non-Profit Rate U.S. Postage PAID Mpls, MN Permit No. 2275

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER BY AUGUST 2

Next Meeting: Friday, August 5, 2005 7:00PM Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus

MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065

MHS Web Page: www.mnherpsoc.org