Vol. 27 (2007), No. 10

t he n e w sl e t t e r o f t he

minnesota herpetological society

WEB VERSION

Information edited/removed to respect privacy concerns.

Stand Up for Frogs! page 3

Love at First Sight An Essay by Nancy Haig

OCTOB ER 2 00 7

VOLUME 27

NUMBER 10

President Bruce Haig

Board of Directors

BELL MUSEUM

Vice Presid ent Jennifer Hensley

Recording Secretary Ellen Heck

Membership Secretary George Richard

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

The Minnesota H er pet ol og i ca l S o c i e t y

V O I C E M A I L : 612.624.7065 • M H S W E B P A G E : 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 Newsletter Editor Asra Halvorson

October 2007 Volume 27, Number 10

Members at Large Sarah Richard

The Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to:

David Dewitt

Carmelita Knudson Jeff LeClere

Adoption Sarah Richard

OF

Committees

• of • •

Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation 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.

Education Jan Larson

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.

Webmaster Anke Reinders theMHSwebmaster@yahoo.com

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.

Library Ted Schave

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 2007, 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.

L...------- s The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

Stand Up For Frogs, Our Water, Paul Wotzka and Us All I wanted to make sure you know about an important event coming up in October in Minneapolis, MN.

In May of this year Paul Wotzka, a hydrologist who worked 16 years for the State of MN, was fired from his job after being barred from testifying at a legislative committee about the levels of the herbicide Atrazine in our state’s waters.

Atrazine is widely believed by the international scientific community to be dangerous, specifically for its endocrine disruption effects on amphibians and is banned in the European Union. Atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in Minnesota waters and has even been found in the city of Minneapolis’ storm sewers and in Lake Harriet.

You can learn more about Paul Wotzka here: http://looncommons.org/2007/06/18/another-pca-whistleblower-suit/ and here: http://wcco.com/local/local_story_171123618.html

The Eastside Food CO-OP’s monthly Food Forum on October 10th will be co-hosted by Land Stewardship Project and serve as a fundraiser for Paul Wotzka and his whistleblower lawsuit. It will be held at the newly renovated Ritz Theater in NE MPLS. An exciting development has come about in connection to this forum. Dr Tyrone Hayes Ph.D., professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley has agreed to attend and speak. Dr. Hayes is the leading expert and voice on the dangers of Atrazine. You can learn about this man’s love of frogs and what he has come up against speaking truth to power about Atrazine, environmental, animal and human health and the corporate bottom line here:

After presentations by Dr. Hayes and Paul Wotzka there will be a question and answer panel with Hayes, Wotkza, MN State Senator John Marty and special guests.

There will also be a silent auction for gift certificates from the most sustainable and righteous minded chefs and restaurants in the Twin Cities:

The Ritz Theater is located at 345 13th Ave 13th AVE in NE Minneapolis. On October 10th doors will open at 6:15 with Paul Metsa performing from 6:30 to 7:00 when the presentation will begin.

Come and hear for yourself what some have tried to deny us. The suggested donation is $20 but no one will be turned away from hearing this important information.

If you cannot attend but would like to support Paul Wotzka donations can be made out to Paul Wotzka Defense Fund and sent to the Eastside Food Co-op.

There will be music, a silent auction from the finest restaurants in the Twin Cities and the free flow of information for us all.

Please feel free to share this information.

I hope you can stand up with us for frogs, water, Paul Wotzka and us all, Tom Taylor Eastside Food Co-op http://www.eastsidefood.coop/

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/2003/Syngenta-TyroneHayes31oct03.htm

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News, Notes, & Announcements

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

Reminder: MHS Elections this November!

There are plenty of opportunities to be involved in MHS. Here’s yet another reminder of one very important way: serving on the Board of Directors for MHS. Even if you’ve never served on a board before, if you’re committed, you can do it! This is a great way to help direct the future of MHS. Elections take place Friday, November 2, 2007 at 7:00pm. All of the following positions are open, so please consider running (if you’re 18 years or older come January)!

President Vice President Treasurer Membership Secretary Recording Secretary Members-At-Large (4 positions) Newsletter Editor

As yet another reminder, I won’t be running for Newsletter Editor again this year, as I’ve got too much on my plate in other areas of my life, so please contact me if you’re at all interested in the postiion, and I can answer any questions you might have.

Asra Halvorson

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

September Adoption Report

By Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair Wow! What a month.

A Whites Tree Frog 2 Alligators 3 Leopard Geckos a Golden Gecko 4 Bearded Dragons a Chameleon (veiled) (needs med atn) 3 Iguanas 8 Red Eared Sliders a Russian Tortoise (M) a King Snake a Corn Snake a Milk Snake (Pueblan) 3 Ball Pythons 2 Burmese Pythons a Rock (or hybrid of some type) a Dumerils Boa and a regular Boa

all came in. With the exception of the alligators, the iguanas and the RES's all found homes. I still need people to come up with places to place these guys.

Fortunately I was able to find fosters but they need "forever homes". Put your thinking caps on and check your sources.

Possibly need a home for a Burm as well but I will know more next month on that one.

I do not need "maybe the zoo would take them" I need "I can take .... and place it in a good home".

Remember, you are the one that makes the society what it is and makes our programs work. Thanks for helping.

October’s Speaker “Jake” Glen Jacobsen Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands

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L...------- s The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

This letter accompanied a donation sent to the MHS recently. After reading it at the board meeting and obtaining permission from the author, we thought it might be nice to include in the newsletter, not just as a remembrance of a beloved mother but also as a thanks to all those who have supported and understood our "hobby" over our lives. of course our deepest sympathies go out to Bill, and our thanks for this small glimpse of treasured memories.

Please accept this gift of $25 from “Movin’ On” a support group for widowed spouses my mother helped found after the death of my stepfather in 1989. Typically they make a donation in the name of the member who dies to a charity that they think would be appropriate and that the person would have appreciated.

My mom passed away unexpectedly on July 26th and among those attending were some from Movin’ On. They recounted how my mother (herself an animal lover) often spoke fondly of her son and his collection of reptiles.

Nancy and I even did a program for their group back in about 1995, where one of the animals was Smiley (for those of you who don’t know, an alligator I’ve had for about 15 years) who at that time was only about 2 feet long. They thought a donation to the MHS would be a good choice.

On a personal note, it was my mom who encourages (much to the chagrin of my father, who didn’t share the same enthusiasm) my interest in critters of all kinds. She never knew what to expect when Pixie, our Chesapeake Retriever, and I would come home from a day’s adventures out in the field. Whatever we had she always took an interest in – that is until the day I came home with a live bat, but tht’s a story all by itself. She helped me build a terrarium for the salamanders I’d find in the window wells in our new housing development. I remember her helping me to build a cage to house a couple snakes I caught when I was 9 or 10 years old. The snakes just happened to pick the night the rotating bridge club was at our house to escape. They crawled under my bedroom door and up the hallway into the living room where the sixteen soon to be screaming guests were playing cards. It was a night all would remember. One of the neighbor from the old neighborhood who attended Mom’s funeral recalled that night as we reminisced.

Anyway, please put this one onto the general fund on the behalf of Joan D. Hardy.

Regards, Bill Moss

London’s Harrods hires cobra to guard $120,000 shoes

To their high society owners, a pair of haute couture shoes can be a precious thing.

But to guard a 62,000 pound (120,000 dollar) pair of ruby- sapphire- and diamond-encrusted Rene Caovilla sandals at their London launch, retailer Harrods went to extreme lengths: bringing in a live Egyptian cobra to patrol the shoe counter.

Whether hiring a poisonous snake is, strictly speaking, the most effective means of guarding precious footwear might be a moot point with security experts.

But it makes for a pretty effective photo opportunity.

A spokeswoman for Harrods admitted that the cobra had been hired strictly for Monday’s launch of the shoe collection.

"The snake has now been returned to its owner," she said.

So no need to fear snake bites at the shoe counter, then.

"Not unless you’re a burglar," the spokeswoman said.

AFP. “London’s Harrods hires cobra to guard $120,000 shoes. 10 September 2007. Online. The Raw Story. http://rawstory.com/news/afp/London_x92_s_Harrods_ hires_cobra_to_09102007.html

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

(§) - - - Study Proves 2.7% of Drivers Are Stupid Jerks*

Cars following close behind other cars weren’t counted in case drivers couldn’t see the objects. The researchers used data from more than 1,900 vehicles.

All that roadkill isn’t just accidental — an Ontario study has found almost three per cent of drivers, the majority of them men, swerve to intentionally steamroll snakes and turtles on the road.

For the turtle, drivers were 1.7 times more likely to hit it than the control and 1.4 times more likely to hit the turtle than the cup.

*Ed. note: Not the original title of the story, but more apropos for the MHS crowd than to ask ourselves if we are “reptile killers”. This title was courtesy of the blog http://www.treehugger.com

The study by three Ontario researchers published in the May edition of the Human Dimensions of Wildlife journal found that some drivers ran over reptiles on purpose on a road near Long Point.

Almost three per cent of drivers, the majority of them men, swerve to intentionally steamroll snakes and turtles on the road.

This doesn’t mean that 2.7 per cent of roadkill is intentionally hit. It means 2.7 per cent of drivers who see reptiles on the road go out of their way to run them over.

Men were more likely than female drivers to hit any of the objects on the road. “Probably testosterone, I don’t know,” said Petrie.

Some drivers tried to rescue what looked like an Eastern fox snake and a small snapping turtle before realizing they were fakes.

Petrie said he was disappointed that some people who stopped really just wanted to pick up the reptiles and take them home.

“Two point seven per cent of the people out there is a lot and especially when those 2.7 per cent of people probably do it often or whenever they get the chance,” Scott Petrie, one the researchers, said Thursday.

Drivers may run over wildlife for kicks and others may think they’re doing everyone a favour by killing a snake since they aren’t well liked, he said. But reptile roadkills are a problem because reptiles are declining, and turtles, unlike raccoons, take longer to become sexually mature, meaning they’re killed on the road before they can reproduce.

The study was conducted in 2005, led by Paul Ashley, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service. Petrie said Ashley has calculated that the causeway from Port Rowan to Long Point, between two wetlands, is the fifth-deadliest road for turtles in the world.

Drivers should watch the road and slow down to avoid hitting wildlife. He suggests being very careful if you try to get the reptile across the road and always send the reptile in the direction it was headed.

The study could be the first to show reptile roadkill isn’t just accidental, said Petrie, research director of the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund.

To test Ashley’s suspicions that some of the roadkill was no mistake, the researchers alternated between placing a plastic turtle, a rubber snake, a white cup and a grease control line on the centre of the road.

The grease line helped researchers know how many drivers passed over the centre line by mistake.

6

The fake snake fared the worst. “Apparently there were some people that sped up and rode the centre line to run over the snake,” Petrie said. The journal article said “drivers were 2.4 times more likely to hit the snake than the control and 1.9 times more likely to hit the snake than the cup.”

“There’s lots of rare and endangered reptile species in the province, so you never know what you’re running over and you shouldn’t run over anything.”

The study suggests not building roads between prime reptile habitat or building underpasses or barriers to keep snakes and turtles off the pavement.

Hill, Sharon. “Are you a reptile killer?” Online, Windsor Star. Accessed through http://autos.canada.com/news/ story.html?id=a2a1779a-8b07-4381-a304-27ce26b16 2e8&rfp=dta

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

Love at first sight

by Nancy Haig

t’s that time again, when I don a costume and head out to Renfest. There’s something magical about handling your animals outside and sharing your interest with others. I fall in love with my beasts all over again as I explain what they are, how they move or how they fit into the natural scheme of things.

I

This year I spent some time wandering the grounds with some non-herp friends. It was fun overhearing the kids telling their parents they wanted to see the snakes again or watching the response of people as they became aware of the tortoise walking pass them with a determined stride.

The MHS is a definite presence out at Renfest; people have come to know us and respect what we are doing. It is hard job for those who are our “core team” working every weekend to maintain the contract with the festival owners, but it has won us a place in the minds and I hope hearts of the patrons.

This time I met two young ladies (pre-teen) that really, really liked snakes and wanted one for a pet. Mom, hanging around in the background, didn’t want one. When I asked why, she said didn’t want to feed live rodents. I told her about the advantages of frozen rodents and that most snakes would accept them. We then talked about the need for a secure cage and learning about the type of snake that would fit their lifestyle. I gave them our quarter-sheet handout that explains about the MHS and suggested they check out the website. Mom left, after first touching a snake, holding and petting the tail as we talked and finally saying to her girls that maybe they could look into getting a cornsnake or something similar. I think my python winked at me as they left.

very concerned about the toad. All in all there were about 10 people standing around, all family or friends of the boy with the toad. He had found it, set up a terrarium and was catching bugs to feed it. It had become a neighborhood pet and everyone wanted to make sure it would survive. We talked in length about toads and bugs. I gave them a quartersheet and referred them to Jeff LeClere’s link on native herps.

They continued around the fence talking with the rest of the MHS members. I was in awe of the impact of one little toad.

But I shouldn’t be surprised. That first contact, whether finding an animal in the wild, or handling someone’s animal in a petting zoo is extremely powerful. How it is done, how the animal reacts can have a profound effect that can change a person’s way of thinking and affect their very life. I ought to know, that’s me, circa 1963, handling an Eastern Indigo Snake. It was love at first sight. x

Later, while talking to various children with parents in tow, I looked up to see a young man in costume holding a plastic soda bottle. It turned out to be a bug container with air holes in the bottom and a very small (smaller than a quarter) toad inside.

He wanted to confirm it was a toad and was very anxious about the proper care for keeping one. As we talked, more people came up and joined the conversation; they seemed

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

(ยง) - - - MHS Treasurer's Report

MHS Treasurer's Report

Prepared by Nancy Haig, Treasurer

Prepared by Nancy Haig, Treasurer

Income: Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200.00 Library Fines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Raffle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.25 Adoption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110.00 Rodent Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499.00 Hands-Ons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Total Income: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971.25

Income: Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375.00 Library Fines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Raffle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.50 Adoption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Rodent Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306.00 Hands-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.25 Sales* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265.00 Total Income: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,108.75

For July 2007 Beginning Checkbook Balance: . . . . . . . . . . . 22,302.25

Expense: Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,474.36 Misc. Printing and Postage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Hands-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Rodent Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Adoption Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Voicemail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Renfest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.10 Total Expense: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,541.46

For August 2007 Beginning Checkbook Balance: . . . . . . . . . . . 21,732.04

Cash Increase/(Decrease): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (570.21)

Expense: Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Misc. Printing and Postage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407.91 Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658.41 Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405.65 Hands-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 Rodent Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292.82 Adoption Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.00 Voicemail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180.46 Renfest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.96 Total Expense: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,852.75

Placement of Cash Holdings

Ending Checkbook Balance: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,988.04

Ending Checkbook Balance: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,732.04

Checking Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,732.04 Cash on Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155.00

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,887.04

Cash Increase/(Decrease): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (744.00) Placement of Cash Holdings

Checking Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,988.04 Cash on Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155.00

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,143.04 *T-shirts

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

October 2007

Volume 27

Number 10

P a g e r e H v erpe u

•• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• •• Juve Interview •• ••••• Greetings! My name is Jim, Billy’s dad. I was blind-

folded and led to a secret herp-filled bunker where Billy laid out his plan for the next age of reptiles, with King William the First making his sister clean cages while he adopts more soldiers for his herparmy/occupational force.

Name: Billy, age 10 Lives with: dad, Jim; mom, LeeAnn; and sister, Elizabeth

How long have you been going to meetings? one year

What's best about MHS? I love the meetings and the best thing is getting to adopt herps that need a good home.

What's your favorite herp?

The future supreme reptile commander gave this a great deal of thought. Currently an albino boa would be his favorite.

What would you like as your next herp?

A calm enough python or boa that Mom won’t move out... or a chameleon.

What are your pets’ names? Snoopy, Baby Boy, Snoogums. Oh! The pets’ names... a dog named Roscoe, a blue-tongued skink named Rex, two corns named Fuzzy and Ben, a dragon named ChizLev, and a new baby cal kingsnake named Bitey.

Billy also really had a good time at his first Renfest hands-on. Thanks, Tali and Jo!

Got a good tip or idea for the Juve Herper Page? Email Dan Monson. See you at the meeting! -Dan FishMan

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G E T YOUR ME S SA GE TO Y O UR T AR GE T A UD I EN CE W I T H A 1 / 4 PA G E A D. $10 PER MONT H $ 1 10 P ER Y EA R *

*112th month is free on a one year commitment Advertising Policies

MHS AD RATES

Business card 1/4 Page 1/2 Page Full Page

$5/Month $10/Month $20/Month $40/Month

$55/Year* $110/Year* $220/Year* $440/Year*

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

New

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.

Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be run 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

Renewal Membership# Type Check #

Name

Address City, State, Zip, Phone

Email

List in MHS Directory?

Yes

No

Herp related interests

Active Memberships:

Sustaining ($60/year)

Contributing ($40/year)

Basic ($20/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 Organization U.S. Postage PAID Mpls, MN Permit No. 2275

POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER BY OCTOBER 2

Next Meeting: Friday, September 5, 2007 7:00 PM Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065

MHS Web Page:

www.mnherpsoc.org