the newsletter of the
May 2011
Minnesota Herpetological Society
Volume 31
Number 5
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Jennifer Hensley Starbrst72@msn.com
Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street Southeast, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-0104
Vice President Sonja Koolmo 763.755.1630 sonjak121@comcast.net Recording Secretary Ellen Heck MnHerpSoc.RecSec@gmail.com
THE MINNESOTA
763.862.8966
763.593.5414
Membership Secretary Heather Clayton 612.886.7175 clayton.heather@comcast.net
HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY Voice Mail: 612.326.6516 • MHS WEBPAGE: http://www.mnherpsoc.org MHS YAHOO GROUP: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/mnherpsoc
May 2011
763.434.8684
Newsletter Editor Christopher Rueber mn.mhseditor@gmail.com
952.594.0101
Members at Large Jeff LeClere Reptilia74@aol.com
651.488.6388
Chris Smith Chris.Smith.MHS@gmail.com
651.315.7760
Matt Carter mcarterlgk@gmail.com
651.329.2290
Jacob Mee hz.jmee@yahoo.com
Number 5
THE PURPOSE OF THE MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY IS TO • • •
Treasurer Nancy Haig nanchaig@citilink.com
Volume 31
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.
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 elec- tronic file format if possible. See inside back cover for ad rates. Submissions may be sent to: The Minnesota Herpetological Society -or- mn.mhseditor@gmail.com Attn: Newsletter Editor Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104
C om m itte e s Adoption Sarah Richard RealSarah@aol.com
612.781.9544
Education Jan Larson jan.skunkhollow@juno.com
507.263.4391
SNAKE BITE EMERGENCY
Library Nancy Haig 763.434.8684 nanchaig@citilink.com
HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER 800-222-1222 © Copyright 2011, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, non-commercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society
May 2011
Volume 31
Number 5
May Meeting - Friday, May 6th - Starting at 7 P.M. University of MN - St. Paul Campus, Borlaug Hall, Room 335
Mambas, Malaria and Militias
21st Century Exploration and Herpetology in the Jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Eli Greenbaum, Ph.D Mambas, Malaria and Militias: 21st Century Exploration and Herpetology in the Jungles of Democratic Republic of Congo Eli Greenbaum is currently an Assistant Professor in the Evolutionary Genetics Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. Eli has made African Herpetology the focus of his career, including initiating an independent research program during his postdoctoral on the taxonomy, evolutionary genetics, and biogeography of the reptiles and amphibians in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Please join us for our upcoming meeting on Friday May 6th to find out about some of the findings, along with the many obstacles that Eli and his team have faced in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the course of his multiple excursions and the way they have affected how and where his team could work.
2011 Schedule Upcoming Speakers Friday, June 3rd, 2011 Speaker: Matt Edgar From: The Saint Louis Zoo Subject: The Zoo’s Armenian Viper project
Other noteworthy dates October 21-23, 2011 27th Midwest Herpetological Symposium See the hands on events for other important activities to attend!
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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society
May 2011
Volume 31
Number 5
The Great White Snake Sale! This year’s White Snake Sale was smaller than the past two years – 278 items as opposed to 452 in 2010 and 488 in 2009, but still made over $1500 for the MHS. Almost a third of that came from the live auction, so good job to everyone who ran it and the people who bid in it. We would like to thank all the donors to this year’s Sale – corporate donors Leapin’ Lizards, Twin Cities Reptiles and ZooMed, as well as all the members who donated items. There was a large variety of items, over 80% of which sold. We also like to thank everyone who volunteered (if I forgot someone, apologies and let me know so you can be credited your volunteer hours) Brandy Snyder, Andrea Braucks, Devon Braucks, Harlee Braucks, Jeff LeClere, Fred & Liz Bosman, Jacob Mee, Sarah Bartko, Heather Clayton, Chris Smith, Chad Danathar, Bruce & Nancy Haig, Pete Kazeck and of course our auctioneer John Moriarty. We are looking for someone to chair this for next year. You would need to contact the corporate donors for items and coordinate the volunteers on the night of the sale. If interested, please contact Jenn or Ellen.
Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule Thurs. April 28 5:30–7 pm Battle Creek Earth Night Battle Creek Elementary 60 Ruth St St.Paul, MN 55119
Fri. May 6 Sat. May 7 Fish Fair Anoka Co. Fairgrounds Anoka, MN
Fri. May 13 6–8 pm Glacier Hills Family Science Night Glacier Hills Elementary 3825 Glacier Dr. Eagan MN 55123
Sat. April 30 9am–2 pm Ramsey Environmental Expo. Ramsey Municiple Cr. 7550 Sunwood Drive Ramsey, MN
Thur. May 12 5:30–8 pm Plymouth Enviromental Quality Fair ZacharyLane Elementary school 4350 Zachary Lane N. Plymouth, MN
Thurs. June 9 3–7 pm MN Native Plant Market City hall parking lot 14600 Minnetonka Blvd.
Looking to meet other MHS members? Help assist the society achieve it’s goals of educating the public? Or just have a good time showing off your herps? Here’s the perfect opportunity! Here’s the deal- Bring your herp(s) to one of the shows listed above, and talk about them. That’s it! You don’t have to be an expert, you’re not giving speeches. Most of the time you will find that people are more than open to hearing about our misrepresented critters. Sound fun? Great! There are just a few requirements: Bring only healthy animals. Make sure you know the basics about your animal; What they eat, how long they live, adult size, cage needs. There is no size limits as long as the handler can comfortably keep control. We do not let viewers pat them on the head and do not allow them to directly hold the animal. If the animals are very young, display in a cage is recommended. Children may participate as long as they have adult supervision.
Contact: Jan Larson 4
507-263-4391
jan.skunkhollow@juno.com
The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society
May 2011
Volume 31
Number 5
MHS Photo & Art Contest Results are In! There were so many entries that it made it very hard for us all to choose our favorites! Congratulations to all those who competed, and especially those that took a riboon home!
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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society
May 2011
Volume 31
Number 5
Treasurer’s Report for March 2011
MHS Board Meeting Postponed
Prepared by Nancy Haig
The board meeting was postponed due to the lack of members being able to attend early in the month. It was rescheduled for the 15th, which is too late to make the newsletter. Details will be forthcoming in an upcoming issue as they were given in the meeting. For the most up to date news, join us on the MHS Yahoo Group.
Beginning Balance Income:
Membership Raffle Adoption Rodent sales Donations HandsOn Nws Ad
$16,882.31 $60.00 $0.00 $5.00 $456.00 $0.00 $0.00
Total Income $521.00 Expense:
Newsletter Program adopt/Vet Rodents Supplies Midwest
April Adoption Report
$175.04 $743.28 $60.00 $619.50 $116.83 $791.94
Total Expense $2,506.59
Twenty animals came in during the month of April, and were successfully placed during the April meeting! Among those placed were a Russian Tortoise, two Yellow Belly Sliders, a Red Eared Slider, four Ball Pythons, two Boas, two Corn Snakes, a Sand Boa, a Reticulated Python, two Bearded Dragons and four Leopard Geckos.
Cash Increase/Decrease
-$1,985.59
Ending Balance
$14,896.72
Your efforts for finding homes for all the animals is greatly appreciated! However, please remember that we will not hold particular animals, no matter what the circumstances may be.
Total $15,527.57
From the Editor... Welcome to your first edition from the new editor! If you have any feedback on the current issue, or anything you would like to see more of in upcoming newsletters, please feel free to send feedback to mn.mhseditor@gmail.com. 6
Placement of cash holdings
Checking Account TCF/Paypal Paypal Cash on hand
$14,896.72 $233.42 $222.43 $175.00
Grants have been awarded to: • Chris Smith in the amount of $1,500.00 as a continuation of his 2010 study on Wood Biomass Harvests. • Tricia Markle in the amount of $1,000.00 for her study on Physiological Analysis of Species Variation in a Geographical Range Size.
Next Meeting: Friday - May 6th - 7:00 pm Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus
MHS Voice Mail: 612.326.6516 MHS Web Page: www.mnherpsoc.org