9/25/2008
[Byline]
 IN PURSUIT OF ANIMALS UNDER ROCKS . . . GROUP TO DOCUMENT REPTILES, TURTLES, AND AMPHIBIANS OF SMITH COUNTY Members and friends of the Kansas Herpetological Society (KHS) will meet to find and count the amphibians, reptiles, and turtles of Smith County, Kansas, on 3-5 October 2008. The event will begin at 9 am both Saturday and Sunday at the group campground in Glen Elder State Park at Waconda Lake in Mitchell County. KHS signs will be posted at the lake to help people find the main gathering. Participants will most likely caravan to certain locations in nearby Smith County for "herping." The field trip adjourns at noon on Sunday, 5 October. This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend. At the field trip, KHS herpetologists will lead groups of individuals in search of reptiles, amphibians and turtles that are gathering for winter brumation. Non-venomous animals will be captured and brought to a check point for identification and documentation. Unless specially trained to do so, participants are discouraged from attempting to capture venomous snakes. Most animals will be released where they were found, although some specimens will be kept by individuals holding current Kansas Scientific Collecting Permits for research purposes at accredited institutions. Field trip participants have the opportunity to assist in finding particular animals needed for study. Folks joining the outing are advised to wear long pants and thick boots, and to dress appropriately for the weather and the terrain. Leather gloves, a hat, sunscreen, drinking water, two-way radios, field guides, and a camera are also good items to bring. Old pillowcases and gallon-sized freezer bags can be used to temporarily hold captured animals, or you can support the KHS and buy one of their brand new bright orange KHS Snake Sacks. Participants are responsible for their own meals, snacks, and overnight accommodations. A list of motels is available on the KHS Fall Field Trip web site at http://www.cnah.org/khs/FieldTripInfoFall.html "I''m scheduling field trips in counties we''ve not documented as a group," said KHS field Trip Chairperson Daniel Murrow. "Sometimes there’s a reason we haven''t visited a particular place and that might have to do with available ''searchable'' habitat. For example, this is a county with very few turnable rocks. Fortunately, we''ll have access to one of the best habitats in the county, so I can almost guarantee we''ll find some animals," Murrow continued. "I expect many animals will be found by roadcruising both day and night, because folks love to drive all over the county, even with gas prices as high as they are," he said. KHS field trips allow people of all ages a unique opportunity to aid scientists, teachers, naturalists and students as they search for, discover and document some of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. The group sponsors field trips each spring and fall to assess the distribution and abundance of herpetological species in the state and to gain other data. Because reptile, turtles, and amphibians live so close to the earth and its water, changes in the animals or their numbers can indicate environmental change, often for the worse. "There is a growing awareness of the importance of amphibians, reptiles, and turtles in Kansas," agrees Joseph T. Collins, Herpetologist at KU''s Kansas Biological Survey and author of Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas and the Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. "For instance, farmers understand a good population of frogs and toads means greater insect control and a thriving population of snakes means less rodents. Healthy populations of both of these groups of animals can indicate a healthy landscape. These are certainly animals worth preserving for their beneficial impact on the environment they share with humans." Information from the field trip is published in the Journal of Kansas Herpetology and made available to agencies such as the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and other conservation and education groups. The Kansas Herpetological Society is one of the nation''s foremost organizations dedicated to scientific study and conservation of herpetofauna. The group has conducted more than fifty field trips since it began coordinating the events in 1974. For information on the KHS, visit the KHS website at http://www.cnah.org/khs or call M.K. Baldwin, KHS Secretary, at 785-272-1076. Contacts for this release: Dan Murrow, KHS Field Trips, 913-652-6971, dan@iturnrocks.com Joseph T. Collins, KHS Associate Editor, 785-749-3467, jcollins@ku.edu Robin Oldham, KHS Publicity, 620-795-2293, familyoldham@embarqmail.com