Vol. 34 (2014), No. 6

The newsletter of the

Minnesota Herpetological Society

Turtle Trapping

June Meeting Notice General Meeting will be June 6th, 2014 MHS Family Picnic June 1st. See Page 3 for details MHS Annual Field Survey June 13th-15th. See Page 4 for details

June 2014

Volume 34

Number 6

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Chris Smith 612.275.9737 President@mnherpsoc.com Vice President Peter Tornquist 952.797.6515 VicePresident@MnHerpSoc.com

C/O Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church Street Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-0104

Recording Secretary Heather Clayton 612.886.7175 RecSecretary@MnHerpSoc.com

And, you can still leave us a Voice Mail: 612.326.6516

Membership Secretary Micole Hendricks 651.356.1669 MemSecretary@MnHerpSoc.com Treasurer Nancy Haig 763.434.8684 Treasurer@MnHerpSoc.com Newsletter Editor Ellen Heck 612.750.1649 NewsletterEditor@MnHerpSoc.com Members at Large Kelli Bornholdt 612.710.5919 MemberAtLarge3@MnHerpSoc.com Rebecca Markowitz 409.750.0235 MemberAtLarge4@MnHerpSoc.com Terry Odegaard 612.840.7674 MemberAtLarge1@MnHerpSoc.com Misi Stine 952.217.1267 MemberAtLarge2@MnHerpSoc.com

COMMITTEES Adoption Sarah Richard RealSarah@aol.com

Stay informed! Join us on our forums!

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.

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:

612.781.9544

Education Jan Larson 507.263.4391 Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com Fostering Nancy Haig 763.434.8684 NancHaig@CitiLink.com WebMaster Kimber Anderson WebMaster@MnHerpSoc.Com Cover by MN DNR NonGame Program Cartoons by Fran Frisch

The Minnesota Herpetological Society -or- newslettereditor@mnherpsoc.com Attn: Newsletter Editor C/O Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104

SNAKE BITE EMERGENCY HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER 800-222-1222

© Copyright 2014, 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.

General Meeting —John Moriarty & Carol Hall Friday April 4th, 7:00pm; 6:30pm Social Hour Social hour begins at 6:30pm. This is a time for people to minge and catch up before the meeting starts.

The authors of the new Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota will discuss changes to Minnesota’s herps since the publication of the last edition (Oldfield and Moriarty 1994). They will highlight new species, conservation initiatives and new natural history information. The authors will have copies of the book for sale.

John Moriarty is the senior manager of wildlife for Three Rivers Park District where he oversees wildlife and habitat projects including Bullsnake monitoring, Blanding’s Turtle and Spiny Softshell nesting programs and frog surveys. He previously worked as natural resources manager for Ramsey County Parks. He is coauthor with Barney Oldfield of Amphibians and Reptiles Native to Minnesota (Minnesota, 1994) and author of Turtles and Turtle Watching in North Central States. John has been involved in amphibian and reptile research, surveys, and legislation in Minnesota for over 30 years.

Carol Hall is a herpetologist with the Minnesota DNR where she has coordinated amphibian and reptile surveys for the Minnesota Biological Survey with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources since 1991. She previously worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

Chris Smith, Erica Hoagland and Jeff LeClere Submitted by Heather Clayton For the month of May we had three local speakers, all from within the MHS. Chris Smith, Erica Hoaglund, and Jeff LeClere each work for the DNR in different roles, and came to speak with the membership about three projects herp enthusiasts can get involved in. Chris Smith was our first speaker of the night. Chris is the current MHS president, is heavily involved in the HerpMapper project, and in his position at the DNR partners with other organizations such and the Three Rivers Park District. The subject of Chris's talk was the Twin Cities Turtle Crossing Tally & Count, which is a project aimed at recording road mortality and animal movement across road barriers for the purpose of directing road repair and construction in such a way to provide a useful, safe passage for animals to use to cross roadways.

Some solutions to reduce road mortality of turtles and other herps involve redesigning the areas turtles travel through, and there are several option that could be put in place: culverts (their placement, shape, and size allow animals to cross under roads), wildlife-friendly curbs (a rampshaped curb may help a turtle climb up to get off the street), under- and over-passes (these allow road crossings without any exposure to traffic), fencing (may be installed to funnel turtles back to the water which impedes movement but keeps them alive), and rip-rap (class 5 rock and gravel fills in the cracks in rocky or concreted areas which may trap turtles when traveling).

Ways we can help reduce turtle mortality are to give turtles a hand in crossing roads, but be careful for your own safeTurtles cross roads primarily in two seasons, spring and ty, and avoid handling them much. If there is not traffic, fall. These migration periods occur when the turtles are out you should allow the turtle to cross on its own. If you need on the land, crossing sometimes many roads, to get to to move the turtle, be sure you are gentle; grasp the turtle nesting sites or a preferred water body. Road mortality for by a rear leg, and slide your other hand under the turtle's turtles in particular is damaging to populations because belly to lift. Be sure you put the turtle down in the same turtles are vulnerable due to a few aspects of their life his- direction it was going to be sure it doesn't just try to cross tories. Turtles are slow to reach sexual maturity, so for the road again as well. Another thing we can do is particievery adult killed on the road, it takes a juvenile several pate in the T3 ( Twin Cities Turtle Crossing Tally & Count) years to be able to replace it. Turtles live many years, by registering your phone so you can report live or dead therefore statistically increasing its chances of getting hit turtle sightings from anywhere in the world. This is from by a car, crossing several roads for many years. Turtle Mobile Mapper, and even if you don't know which species it eggs have a high predation rate, so even if an adult manis, you should send in your photos, as there are experts ages to reproduce and lay eggs safely, the baby turtles risk who can identify what you are seeing. A couple of places being eaten or killed on a road as well. Due to all of these this would be useful are in Washington County and Eden factors, populations need to be studied long-term for many Prairie on Old 212. These roadways are or will be undergoyears to really be able to see the difference in turtle num- ing some form of restoration, and they want to install anibers, but the current data already shows a long-term demal passageways to reduce mortality, but they need accucline in progress. At the current rate, 2-4 individuals being rate data on where these animals are crossing. You may killed per year is all it needs to create a slide toward exalso go on HerpMapper online to record herp sightings. tinction.

June 2014

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Our next speaker was Erica Hoaglund, who is a Biologist with the DNR Non Game Wildlife Program. This is a rare area in the DNR, as they are funded through donations.

The small staff of around 20 people work to protect, maintain, research, and manage wildlife resources for more than 700 species not traditionally hunted or harvested (fished). They carry out habitat protection and management (as in controlled burns, etc.), educational and outreach programs; they offer technical guidance to other resource managers and stewards, planning and fund raising, research, surveys, and monitoring. They do a lot of work with herps such as hog nose snakes, mud puppies, cricket frogs, wood turtles, and four-toed salamanders.

application currently under revision is the “Rare Species Guide” online, in which you can search different species or animal groups to learn about, and an eagle cam which is in a nest here in the twin cities. The technical guidance they provide to other organizations and stewards which deal in natural resource management communicate the needs of these species to others involved in their protection, even if secondarily. This helps get mutual goals achieved for protection and management of land through partnering their fields. One example is a set of fact sheets on solutions for road projects which use materials which are dangerous to wildlife, which can help developers use more animalfriendly alternatives.

Some of the research they are working on involves occupancy modeling in rare savannah/dune systems where rare targets species survive in order to determine what habitat features are necessary for these species so that as more habitat is developed or restored they know what features it should have to support these animals long term. This involves tracking studies and monitoring of populations. One area they are working on is the restoration of 630 acres of planted pine, oak savannah, and unmaintained prairie and woodland; they have a partnership with the U of M to carry out these goals. A couple of the species focused on are bull snakes and plains hog nose snakes.

An interesting fact about this program specifically is that it is primarily funded through donations. 80% of funding comes from donations, which may come in many forms.

You could help through donating on your taxes or online, or purchasing “Reinvest in MN” license plates for your vehicle. Something to remember is that your donations get matched, so no donation is too small, and with donations down over the last five years, the DNR Non Game Wildlife Program needs your help to keep working to protect these species.

Our third speaker was Jeff LeClere, who also works for the DNR in the MN Biological Survey area (which is always One of the surveys the Non Game Wildlife Program is con- looking for volunteers). Jeff's talk focused on the MHS Field ducting is for the rare four-toed salamander, found only in Survey, which will be June 13-14th this year at Minneopa two populations with very delicate, specific habitats. They State Park just outside of Mankato. The survey is “sloshing will be targeting more heavily managed state lands such as through the mud fun” since the early 2000s, starting with a WMAs and state forests in order to watch how recreation survey in Mariah State Park. The early coordinators were and other activities might impact non game species. This Randy and Marilyn Blasus who handled the annual surveys will allow the DNR to help non game biologists advise oth- until 2006, when Jeff took over. The objective of the surers on the protection of this salamander. Over time, the vey is to document and report all herps encountered in the DNR monitors various rare or endangered species popula- specified area to the DNR. This helps develop and tions such as cricket frogs through repeated visits to the strengthen the working relationship between the MHS and area to observe long-term trends. The information gleaned the DNR in providing data. Another goal is to explain and from such population monitoring is then used to protect teach methods of field herpetology, a large area of interest the species from direct threats to their habitat. in the herp community, to the MHS membership, and most of all to have fun!

The Non Game Program works to recover or preserve known populations already in danger of decline or extincFor this year, there are three campsites, each can hold 6-8 tion through habitat protection and management, which is people and are near restrooms. If these sites get full there very expensive, so these measures are reserved for very are other sites available which you can reserve, and the scarce species, such as the Timber Rattlesnake. The SE MN MHS will reimburse you for any fees associated. Minneopa Timber Recovery Plan, started in 2009, wants to restore State Park is about 1.5 hours away from the twin cities. If, ~5200 acres near known and hopeful rattlesnake habitat. when we get there, we determine the area the park has One challenge is that trees want to move in to these bluff designated as survey spots may change per our requests, prairies, which prevents the rattlers from proper therso we do have some flexibility there, but please sign up moregulation . ahead of time for the survey if possible so the MHS and the Another way the DNR works on behalf of non game species park all know about how many people to accommodate.

There will also be a picnic before the survey, which will is through educational outreach programs and products. include all sorts of activities and even some field herp This includes community education programs, academic training. For those of us who are comfortable with field presentations, technical trainings within the DNR or other organizations. Some of the products the DNR puts out are herping, please be patient with those of us who are new to it, and the group should stay near each other for safety. books and pamphlets, and they use social media as well through their Facebook page, news releases, etc. One cool Page 2

Volume 34 Number 6

June 2014

Some of the field herping techniques that will be used are turtle trapping, larval amphibian trapping, and search and seizure. All of these methods will be demonstrated for beginners, and everyone can attend. As long as you love herps you are welcome! The goals is to promote proper and ethical herping procedures through these demonstrations and surveys, which also happens to get people outside and delving into our own local herp habitats. Some photos may be taken to document certain species, especially if something is a little more rare, but there are usually one or two people designated to take these photos so that the correct data is collected and it is reported correctly. We will try to use HerpMapper this year to see if it will mesh with the DNR format, so that is a new thing we are trying as well.

The MHS will be providing food, beverages, the campsites, and firewood. If you have any specific foods or beverages you would like or if you have allergies to common camping-type food, please bring what you would like, and things to share are always welcome of course. This year we will be having hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, chili, s'mores, and more! What you will need to bring is camping equipment if you are staying overnight (pack for the weather!), field gear if you have it (waterproof boots, nets, etc.), GPS if you have one, repellent for ticks and mosquitoes, and whatever other personal items you may need. Please respect the park and its environment, other people participating in the survey or helping out, and stick with the group for safety. Staying together helps keep everyone safe as well and helps ensure we do not encroach on grounds the park has restricted. Anything you find should be reported to the survey coordinator or your team lead.

Some of the herp species we expect to find include skinks, map turtles, smooth green snakes, hog nose snakes, and hopefully fox snakes, as Minneopa is supposed to have several there. Some of the animals are caught and brought to the campsite for photos and recording, others are recorded where found. There is a lot of down time in the evening, so we get to sit around the camp fire and have a great time. We want to get going around 9am on Saturday, rain or shine, but don't worry if you are unable to get there when it begins, as there is always someone at the site to greet people coming in and help get you going with the group. If you are interested in learning about previous surveys, Jeff has an online publication from 2011 which chronicles the history of the MHS surveys for every year except one (when there was no survey) in which you can see results, photos, etc.

Watch for announcements in the MHS newsletter and on the website for more information, and let Jeff or Beth Girard know if you have any questions!

HerpMapper

http://www.herpmapper.org/

MN DNR Non-Game Wlidlife Field Survey Link

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/index.html

http://www.mnherpsoc.com/content/mhs-field-survey-0

MHS Members Picnic Sunday June 1st 2014, 10:00am-4:00pm Spring Lake Park Reserve 8395 127th Street East - Hastings MN 10:00am-12:00pm Field Surveys: What they are and how you can participate!

12:00pm-2:00pm Lunch 2:00pm-4:00pm Social time and kids games Join us at the annual MHS Members Picnic for food and fun. In the morning, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the Annual Field Survey with Jeff LeClere and Chris Smith. They will demonstrate several techniques which will be used to survey for herp species at Minneopa State Park later in the month (June 13-15). Tips to help you improve your own herping methods will also be covered.

MHS will provide hot dogs, buns, condiments, and water. Bring a dish to share. You are welcome to use the hot grill for other items as well.

There will be activities and games for the kids throughout the day.

RSVP to Misi Stine at misistine@gmail.com For additional information about the picnic location, visit http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks/parksTrails/SpringLake/Pages/default.aspx June 2014

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MHS Reports and Announcements Treasurer's Report for April 2014

May Adoptions It was the night of the Ball Pythons. We had 45 animals up for adoption at the May meeting. 16 of them were Ball Pythons. Surprisingly we had only a few adoptions.15 animals were adopted, 9 Red-Eared Sliders and Painted Turtles were outsourced. The rest were put in foster until next month.

Check out the adoption listing on the website for more information on the animals.

Because of the large numbers of unplaced animals we are reviewing our adoption /foster programs to see how we can best handle what happens after the meeting. No one likes the E word (euthanasia) but if we can’t find proper homes for these animals it is one of the options we may need to consider. Think about that when you see the animals up for adoption next month.

Do you really like Rats?

prepared By Nancy Haig

Beginning Balance

$

5,516.20

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

430.00 1,158.60 90.00 482.00 2,160.60

Newsletter printing Newsletter postage Program Rodent cost Adoption Total Expense

$ $ $ $ $ $

61.90 658.50 720.40

Cash Increase/Decrease

$

1,440.20

Ending Balance

$

6,956.40

$ $ $ $ $

6,956.40 17,209.58 390.88 600.00 175.00

Income: Membership Donations Raffle Adoption Hands Ons White Snake Sale T-shirt pre-sales Rodent Sales Total Income

Expense

The MHS is looking for someone to take over processing the rodent orders for the Friday meeting pick-up. The job involves storing and repackaging the frozen rodents into the members’ orders and delivering them to the Friday night meeting. Comes complete with a 50” x 34” x 22” chest freezer. For more information please contact Nancy Haig treasurer@mnherpsoc.com

Midwest Herpetological Symposium It’s that time of year to start planning on attending the nest Midwest Herp Symposium. This year it will be hosted by the Hoosier Herpetological Society in Indiana, October 17-19, 2014. Mark the date on your calendar and check www.hoosierherpsoc.org for a list of speakers and programs.

Placement of cash holdings Checking Savings Paypal Transfer to checking Cash on hand

Did you know?

ALL the MHS newsletters are available at ISSUU, going back to the very first ones. So if you would like to see what we looked like back then, check it out! http://issuu.com/search? q=minnesota+herpetological+society

Total

$ 25,331.86

Other societies’ newsletters are also available Baars http://issuu.com/bayareaamphibianandreptilesociety/ stacks/0524e9c45be34f9480276369c440d112 Reptile Rap http://issuu.com/zoo-wild/ stacks/055f99081fd744a9aa1c040954ebc5a5

Side Effect of Global Warming Something to watch as the temperature rises—the effect this will have on animal populations that employ environmental sex determination.

Board Meeting The board meeting will be held 6pm June 7th in the St Paul Student Union.

Everyone is welcome to attend the board meeting. If you think you may be interested in running for a position, we encourage you to come check it out.

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http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/ warming-tips-sea-turtle-breeding-females-favor-study -20140519

Volume 34 Number 6

June 2014

MHS Reports and Announcements Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule Native Plant Sale—Wednesday June 4th, 2014 3-7pm. Minnetonka Community Center Chuck & Don’s—Saturday July 12th, 2014. Northfield, MN Chuck & Don’s—Saturday August 2nd, 2014. Plymouth, MN Chuck & Don’s—Saturday August 16th, 2014. Edina, MN

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.

Contact Jan at Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com for details or if interested in signing up. Or sign up on the website.

Contact Jan or check online for the latest hands-in opportunities!

DNR Launches New Website MN DNR has launched a webpage aimed at informing commercial breeders/vendors about Minnesota herp laws. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/sales.html

Twin Cities Turtle Crossing Tally and Count Project http://www.herpmapper.org/content/pdf/mn-turtle-and-roads-announcement.pdf

From CNAH The Herpetologists’ League is pleased to announce competitive grants for graduate student research for 2015. These awards are named in honor of Ernest E. Williams, the first Distinguished Herpetologist of The Herpetologists’ League.

Overview 1. An award ($1000.00 maximum amount) will be presented to one winner in each category: Behavior, Conservation, Ecology. Physiology, Morphology/Systematics 2. The application form and rules are also available on the HL web site at http://www.herpetologistsleague.org/dox/ eewilliamsgrant.pdf.

3. Entries must be received by 5 PM Central Time on 15 December 2014.

4. Send complete application (cover page, proposal, budget, CV,) as a single PDF electronically to: Ann Paterson at apaterson@wbcoll.edu. Please put “EE Williams Research Grant” in subject line.

5. 1 letter of support should be sent, preferably by e-mail, directly by the supporter.

6. Proposals will be reviewed by at least two professional scientists, who will provide written feedback by April 2015.

7. Funding dispersed in April 2015 and winners announced at the Herpetologists’League Business Meeting in Reno, NV, 2015.

Rules – please read carefully 1. The applicant must be a member in good standing of The Herpetologists’ League.

2. The applicant must be registered and in good standing in a degree-granting program (MS and PhD students are eligible).

3. One proposal per applicant per year.

4. Project must be original work, authored and conducted by the applicant.

5. Projects that are already fully supported by other sources are not eligible.

6. The proposal category must be clearly designated. However, HL reserves the right to judge proposals under a category different from that requested based on evaluation of the subject matter and the number of proposals received in each category.

7. Previous winners are NOT eligible for the award in subsequent years.

8. A short report (2 pg) summarizing the results of the project and a reprint or .pdf of any publication arising from the project is due to secretary of HL when available.

June 2014

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Online Classifieds In addition to ads in the newsletter, MHS provides online classifieds via the forums. A valid login (provided to current members) is required to both post and read ads. http://www.mnherpsoc.org/forums/members/classifieds Page 8

Volume 34 Number 6

June 2014

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application New

Name

Renewal

Address

Membership #

City, State, Zip Phone

Type Check #

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, C/O BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

Rodents!

Order your MHS Rodents today!

Ordering by phone? See the new phone number below.

Mice

Weight

Price

Pinkies

2-3 grams

$7/dz

Fuzzies

5-7 grams

$7/dz

Advertising Policies

Hoppers

8-11 grams

$8/dz

MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY

Adult

25-30 grams

$10/dz

Jumbo Adult

45+ grams

$14/dz

Rats

Weight

Price

Weanlings

40-45 grams

$17/dz

Small Adult

50-60 grams

$18/dz

Med. Adults

125-150 grams

$22/ 10 rats

fied ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be run three (3) consecutive months, after which time they

Large Adult

200-240 grams

$17/ 6 rats

may be resubmitted.

Jumbo

250-350 grams

$16/ 5 rats

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Membership Secretary at the general

For pickup at monthly meetings only. Orders may be placed via: 1. At the meeting for the following month 2. Online at www.MnHerpSoc.Com 3. Call the MHS Voicemail: 612.326.6516 Orders MUST be placed 10 days in advance of the meeting to guarantee availability. We no longer keep an inventory of rodents on hand, so if you attempt to place an order after the deadline, there is no way to fill it.

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 classi-

meeting or mailed to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, C/O 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.

Advertising Costs Size Cost Business Card Sized $5/month or $55/year* 1/4 Page $10/month or $110/year* 1/2 Page $20/month or $220/year* Full Page $40/month or $440/year*

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY C/O BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET SE MINNNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

Next Meeting: Friday June 6th - 7:00 pm Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus Save the dates!

Friday July 11th—General Meeting 7pm Friday August 1st—General Meeting 7pm MHS Voice Mail: 612.326.6516 MHS Web Page: www.MnHerpSoc.com

This newsletter is printed on recycled paper