March 2011 PNHS Newsletter

It’s springtime, and that

means outreach season!

Please see page 8 for

outreaches in the next

week or so, and contact

Dave to get the ex-

tended schedule!

Dave Alverson

Outreach Coordinator

[email protected]

Photo courtesy wikipedia

Pacific NorthwestPacific NorthwestPacific NorthwestPacific Northwest

Herpetological SocietyHerpetological SocietyHerpetological SocietyHerpetological Society

Next Meeting

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

Highline Community College

2400 S. 240th St, Des Moines, WA

Building 12, Room 101

Board Meeting: 4:00 pm

General Meeting: 6:00 pm (doors @ 5:30 pm)

Speaker Presentation Dr Thomas Kleinteich will be giving a talk on

the Biology of Caecilians.

Herp of the Month: Herps of Europe

and the Middle East

This category includes favorites such as Leop-

ard Geckos and Uromastyx lizards, as well as

Greek Tortoises and more obscure species such

as the Laughing Frog, pictured below.

In This Issue

Letter from the President

PNHS Reaches Out

Supplemental Board Mtg Minutes

ECRE Volunteers

Events & Suggested Vets

Classifieds & Adoptions

Info & Guidelines

PNHS Contact List

April Newsletter Deadline

12:00 pm April 5th

Please send submissions to:

[email protected]

K

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March 2011

Volunteers with Dave Colburn’s gator All photos by Aimee Kenoyer

Volume 26, issue 3

What a great ECRE! I can’t believe how busy we were, and how wonderful were all

the new faces who came by the show. I can’t begin to thank all the vivacious volun-

teers, our supporters, and our faithful vendors who all made the ECRE possible this

year. It was a ton of work, but loads of fun!

I do not have final numbers yet, they’ll be published in the April NL next month; how-

ever, we can all be proud that we more than doubled the number of people through

the door in this second show. We also made considerably more money this year.

Maybe the rack I’ve been fantasizing about after 4 1/2 years of ball python and colu-

brid fostering will finally become a reality!

That’s what this is really all about. A successful show isn’t just about getting our name

out into the community, laughing when a Crestie leaps onto Christie Johnson of King 5

news (most memorable publicity this year, for sure!), or getting the most fabulous

purple STAFF T-shirt ever to be made...it’s about increasing resources for our group.

While this allows us to improve activities and events for our members, the bottom line

is that increased revenue for the group helps expand the resources of our adoptions

program as well as our abilities to reach out to the public. And as the show continues

to grow...taking PNHS with it...who knows where we’ll be in five years?

Volume 26, issue 3

Letter from the President By Aimee Kenoyer (*photos by A Kenoyer unless otherwise indicated)

Volume 26, issue 3

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

I’d also like to personally thank every herptile at

the show, if I had a way to do it, including this

little trooper on the Seattle Turtle and Tortoise

Club’s table...can’t recall his species, sadly, but

it’s impossible to forget his story. This turtle, be-

fore coming to the STTC, had been coated in ac-

celerant and set on fire. The pink shade you see

is bony growth in the underlayers of his shell

(pink because of dye in his turtle pellets). The dark blotchy stuff is actually where new

scales are forming into healthy scutes. It may be a few years before the bone is fully

covered, but he’s well on his way to good health. And THAT, my friends, is what it’s all

about for me. Whether through our Outreach program, our Adoptions program,

meetings, emails, our forum and Facebook pages—I put my time into PNHS in the

hopes that advocating responsible ownership and proper education will help prevent

situations like the turtle, or like this boa (below). She came into PNHS Adoptions with

such a terrible case of mouthrot, extensive scarring from rat bites, and scar tissue en-

casing her teeth that it wasn’t possible for her to recover and we had to make the ter-

rible decision to euthanize her and end her suffering. When the inevitable act of cru-

elty or neglect occurs, I want a group like ours here to help pick up the pieces and

find the victims a good new home, or at least to give the animal peace and an escape

from pain. Fortunately most herps that come into our group are not this badly off!

The more PNHS continues to grow, the

more we are able to serve as a commu-

nity resource. Our growth depends on

events like the ECRE, and I’m so pleased

and proud at how many volunteers we

had there and much each and every per-

son gave of their time to PNHS’ cause.

*photo courtesy Rachel Shirk, PNHS Adoptions

It is no secret that public outreaches are, without equal, my favorite part of being a

member of PNHS. The two main reasons this is true. First, it gives me a great

opportunity to stand as an ambassador to the public on behalf of those who own, breed

and care for reptiles. Secondly, I get to stand shoulder to the shoulder with a wide

range or talented and passionate member-experts. The 2011 Emerald City Reptile Expo

in Lake City Community Center provide both of these in spades.

The media coverage we received throughout the weekend was phenomenal. In the

outreach room alone we had both a Seattle Times photographer and the Komo 4 news

that presented us in a very positive and exciting light. What a great way to open the

door to the public and introduce the hobby of amateur herpetology. It may not counter

balance all of the other fear based news and “educational entertainment” (an oxymoron

if ever I wrote one) out there but it’s a start and it happened in our back yard.

It was a wildly busy weekend. Both days saw the outreach room packed wall to wall the

entire day. We had a decent variety so it was not just the snake room. There were

bearded dragons, pythons, boas, at one point a mata mata turtle which has never been

in on of our outreaches to the best of my knowledge, Russian tortoises and a host of

other wonderful animals. This gave the public a chance to interact and learn about

different creatures and what we have to do to provide for the welfare of our animals.

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society

reaches outreaches outreaches outreaches out

Dave Alverson *all photos in Dave’s article courtesy of Eyes of the Wolf Photography

Vo lume 26, issue 3 V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

Continued from Page 5

I was excited to see some faces of members that I haven’t seen at outreaches in the

past. I know that outreaches are old hat to some of us but it was great seeing the

excitement replace the panic in the faces of those that stepped out of their comfort

zone to represent the society and hobby. I was very proud of everyone who set aside

time, whether it was a partial day or the entire weekend, to participate in the program.

While we’re on the topic of comfort zones, I want to give a nod to the members who

faced their fears by letting tarantulas climb up their arm. We’re in the “business” of

helping others overcome their fears of snakes, and it was great watching my friends

and peers doing the same thing.

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

“Ladies and

gentlemen, THAT

is why I do this!”

-Dave Alverson


My favorite story is the quick turn around between attending as a spectator and par-

ticipating as an exhibitor. A little girl and her dad wandered through as so many did

on Saturday. I confess, I do not remember seeing them their first time through but

who ever they talked to must have did an excellent job of promoting our society be-

cause they signed up for a membership that day. Not wanting to waste any time, they

returned to the outreach room and were directed to me. It seems that the girl was al-

ready a herper and she wanted to know if she could bring her baby corn snake in on

Sunday to display. I don’t think I could have agreed fast enough. Her and her father

came in Sunday and within an hour she was teaching kids her age and older how to

drape a boa as long as she was over their shoulder. Ladies and gentlemen, THAT is

why I do this!

Let me not forget to mention the tireless efforts of the volunteers, young and…um,

younger…who made sure everyone was sanitized, relieved people at lunch and breaks

and generally made this way less crazy than it could have been. We also had people

who brought no animals but made themselves available to help handle the animals

there were there. Without the dedication and willingness to serve, this would have

been way more problems than solutions.


So I say in closing this short report, I was thrilled and excited to work with each of

those who participated in bringing our hearts and passions out for the public. This ex-

tends to the families that support us from behind the scenes and the animals them-

selves who allow us to interact with them.

If this has sparked anyone into taking part of more outreaches, please keep your eye

on the outreach forum, http://forums.pnwhs.org/forums/26-Outreaches, our facebook

page, Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society, or contact me at

[email protected] for details.

Vo lume 26, issue 3 V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

Supplemental Board Meeting Minutes

March 12th, 2011. 2 pm—4 pm

In attendance: Dale Drexler, Brenda Huber, Heather Shipway, Rachel Shirk, Geoff

Sweet, Julie Sharkey, Aimee Kenoyer, Norm Hill.

7 members of 11 were in presence, thus constituting a voting quotum.

- A motion was moved by Aimee Kenoyer (President) to address the location of the

2012 Emerald City Reptile Expo. The motion was Seconded by Geoff Sweet (Member at

Large). Motion was voted unanimously in favor. Motion passed.

- A motion was moved by Geoff Sweet (Member at Large) to form an Ad-Hoc commit-

tee called the Emerald City Reptile Expo Committee whose sole purpose is to coordinate

the business of the Emerald City Reptile Expo on behalf of the PNHS Board. The motion

was seconded by Heather Shipway (Member at Large). Motion was voted unanimously

in favor. Motion passed.

- A motion was moved by Geoff Sweet (Member at Large) to designate the chairperson

for the Emerald City Reptile Expo Committee as Aimee Kenoyer. The motion was sec-

onded by Heather Shipway (Member at Large). Motion was voted unanimously in fa-

vor. Motion passed.

ECRE VolunteersECRE VolunteersECRE VolunteersECRE Volunteers By Geoff Sweet

For the last two years it has been my pleasure to be head of security and assistant volunteer coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Herpeto-logical Societ y's awesome new fundraising event - The Emerald City

Reptile Expo. It was 48 hours of hard work for a great cause. At both shows, one of the most repeated comments I heard from the vendors and our partner The Bean Farm was that the volunteers made the differ-ence. PNHS volunteers ran errands, emptied trash, assisted vendors,

and did all the other little jobs that normally our vendors would have to do themselves. For those of you that had the honor of wearing the STAFF shirts, we thank you!

Volunteer work in the Society is what fuels this organization. When the Pacific Science show stopped, many in the Society wondered where

our yearly funding would come from to support our adoptions, rescue, and other programs. We were greatly relieved when the idea blos-somed to do a small show in the Seattle city limits with long-time Soci-

ety supporters The Bean Farm. The Emerald City Reptile Expo was born in 2010 at the Lake City Community Center with good response. The vendors liked the location and, even though it was Father's Day weekend, we had good turnout. This year, with a weekend clear of holi-

days, we had an even better turnout! You will read in this newsletter elsewhere that we had a very successful year indeed. That means we don't have to worry about supporting our core responsibilities of animal rescue and adoption, and public education.

The Society knew, that to pull off a great show, we had to get our

membership to step up to the plate to provide much needed volunteer work. This year we had volunteers providing great support in the Out-reach Area of the show. Many people passed through this area and had the chance to touch and hold reptiles, some for the very first time! On

the vendor floor, vendors thanked us for the volunteer team because of the hard work they did. Our vendors come from all over, and when they arrive at our show, they know that they can count on our team of volun-

teers to lend assistance to whatever they need. Did you know that at some shows, that lent assistance has to be paid for? At many vendor shows I have worked at, a helping hand can cost you $15 for 15 min-utes! Our volunteers are what really help set our show apart from others

on the West Coast.

I hope you will consider volunteering for the 2012 show. The Emerald City Reptile Expo is now the primary source of funding for PNHS. This show is your opportunity to spend a single weekend directly impacting the future of PNHS. Your help over those two days makes the Emerald

City Reptile Expo the best it can be! That means vendors come back the following year, and in turn people return to see a great show. Every paid admission to our show is another animal that gets to see a vet, or

gets a bigger cage in the halfway house program, or gets fed without having to ask for donations. That, my friends, is a very noble use of 48 hours.

Our volunteers are what really help set our show apart from others

on the West Coast.

-Geoff Sweet

Volume 26 , issue 3 V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

Even experienced herpers like

Doug Taylor were excited to

get their photo taken with an

alligator. Dave Colburn’s 3-

year-old gator was a rockstar

and put up with all the people

pretty well.

*photo by Aimee Kenoyer

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

PNHS MEETINGS

March 20th Speaker: Thomas Kleinteich, Caecilian Biology

HotM: Herps of Europe and the Middle East

April 17th Speaker: Barbara Clucas, on Prey Behavior / Predator-Prey Interactions

HotM: Herps of Indonesia and Malaysia

May 15th Speaker: Rockstar Reptiles, on Breeding & Genetics of Ball Pythons

HotM: Varanus spp.

June 12th: MOVED UP ONE WEEK DUE TO FATHER’S DAY

Speaker: Dr Adolf Maas, topic TBA

HotM: TBA

PNHS OUTREACHES

3/30 Kennydale Elementary (evening, Renton area)

3/31 Seaview Elementary (evening, Edmonds area)

Upcoming Events

PNHS’ Suggested Vets List

Eastside Avian & Exotic

Dr. Johnson-Delaney

13603 100th Ave NE

Kirkland, Wa. 98304

425-821-6165 or 888-821-6165

www.eastsideavianandexotic.com

Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle

Drs. Bennett & Lejnieks

4019 Aurora Avenue

Seattle, Wa. 98107

206-783-4538

http://www.birdandexotic.com

Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital

Dr. Adolf Maas

10137 Main Street #6

Bothell, Wa. 98011

425-486-9000

http://www.avianexoticanimalhospital.com

Kamaka Exotic Animal Veterinary

Services

Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka

23914 56th Ave W #3

Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043

425-361-2183

http://www.kamakaexoticvet.com/

Classifieds

Join the Global Gecko Association Today!

The GGA is a six year old international organization dedicated to the needs of all people

interested in geckos. Members receive the twice-yearly, full-color journal, “Gekko”, plus

“Chit-Chat”, our quarterly newsletter. Annual Membership is $32 US, $34 Canada/

Mexico, $36 Overseas.

[email protected] 503-436-1064

or

www.gekkota.com

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

Advertise in the PNHS Newsletter!

Business Card .............................$5

Quarter Page................................$10

Half Page ....................................$15

Full Page .....................................$25

If you would like to place an ad in the PNHS newsletter, please contact:

[email protected]

Feeder Insects & Rodents

I have superworms, giant mealworms, and lots

more! Plus, I now carry frozen rodents. Order

in advance - special pricing for PNHS members,

as well as quantity discounts. For pick up and

PNHS meetings.

Jennifer Sronce 425-750-0477

[email protected]

Bean Farm’s Creative Habitats

Slide-Top Aquariums

Various sizes available. We can deliver the

cages to the meetings, as well as any other item

from the Bean Farm catalogue. Please contact us

by the Friday before the meeting in order for

items to be delivered. Thank you!

Paula & Giovani Fagioli 877-708-5882

[email protected]

www.beanfarm.com

PNHS AdoptionsPNHS AdoptionsPNHS AdoptionsPNHS Adoptions

We always need more foster homes! Currently we have a many ball pythons, several boas, a few colu-

brids, and a handful of lizards...and we’re getting calls every day. If you have a little space and a little

time, please contact Rachel and she’ll set you up!

[email protected]

Please visit our Petfinder site today!

General Information

The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS) is a non-profit organization

registered with the State of Washington. PNHS is dedicated to the education of its

members and the public, as well as the conservation, ecology, and captive care and

breeding of reptiles and amphibians. The society also takes an active role in legis-

lative and environmental issues affecting these animals and their habitats.

Meeting Information

PNWHS holds its general meeting on the third Sunday of every month (with excep-

tions for holidays) at 6:00pm at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Build-

ing 12 Room 101. The Board meeting begins at 4:00pm, and is usually done about

5. Other business and socialization occurs between 5 and 6; then the General Meet-

ing starts. Meetings are open to the public, and the society encourages anyone

with an interest in herpetology to attend. Please purchase a membership to show

your support for the society.

Animal Donations

Looking to adopt, release an animal or donate cages and equipment? Please contact

the Adoptions Committee by email at [email protected], or by voicemail at

206- 583-0686. We will contact you and make arrangements.

Other Donations

The Adoption Committee receives minimal financial support from the Society, so

donations of money, food, cages, and equipment are always needed and appreci-

ated. Please contact the Adoption Chair to make a donation.

Adoptions

To adopt an animal that is in the care of the Committee, you must be present at the

meeting, be a current member (of at least one month), and be over 18 years of age

or have parental consent. For more details see the web site or contact the Adoption

Chair.

Newsletter Information

A monthly newsletter absorbs the lion’s share of the price of a PNWHS membership.

In order to keep it interesting, we encourage contribution of original articles, book

reviews, letters, ads, and cartoons for publication. Items for incorporation into

articles are also welcome, though with no guarantee of their use. Submissions may

be sent to the Newsletter Committee or to the Society through the contacts listed

on the following page.

Editorial Policy

The views expressed in this publication are solely the views of the authors and not

necessarily the views of the Society, its members, or the Newsletter Committee.

The Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit all submissions including ad-

vertisements.

General information &

guidelines

PNHS’ monthly

meetings are a great

place to learn more,

buy feeders, and hang

out with other crazy

herpers!

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

Contact Information

PNHS

PO Box 66147 adoptions:206-583-0686

Burien, WA 98166 email: [email protected]

www.pnwhs.org general information: 206-628-4740

Area Representatives

Greater Seattle Aimee Kenoyer 206-200-1240 [email protected]

N King & Snohomish Deb Alverson 206-601-1723 [email protected]

S King & Pierce Dale Drexler 253-606-4238 [email protected]

Thurston, Mason, Lewis Ann Waldo 866-440-9222

Oregon Elizabeth Freer 503-436-1064 [email protected]

Peninsula, Skagit, Whatcom & Island, Spokane—need volunteers!

Officers for 2011

President Aimee Kenoyer 206-200-1240 [email protected]

Vice President Dave Alverson 206-601-9547 [email protected]

President-Elect Brenda Huber [email protected]

Treasurer Dale Drexler 253-606-4238 [email protected]

Secretary Mel Kreachbaum [email protected]

Membership Secretary Vivian Eleven [email protected]

Members-At-Large Rachel Shirk [email protected]

Julie Sharkey [email protected]

Geoff Sweet 425-205-0258 [email protected]

Heather Shipway [email protected]

Amanda Perez [email protected]

Adoptions Coordinator Rachel Shirk [email protected]

Webmaster Geoff Sweet 425-20500258 [email protected]

Did you know PNHS’

roots are in the 60’s?

yeah, we’ve been

around that long!

V o l u m e 2 6 , i s s u e 3

To join PNHS, please print & complete the following application,

enclose your yearly or multi-yearly membership fee and return to:

PNHS Membership Secretary

PO Box 66147

Burien, Wa. 98166

Membership applications and fees may also be received at the monthly meet-

ings by the Membership Secretary. With your yearly or multi-year member-ship fee you will receive the monthly PNHS newsletter, access to membership pricing for adoption animals, and the opportunity to participate in the many outreaches and events held throughout the year.

Please select one of the options below:

R Applying to become a new member

R Renewing my current membership

R Changing my name or address

Select your desired membership type:

Individual Membership Family Membership

(one person) (more than one person)

R 1 year $20.00 R 1 year $30.00

R 3 year $50.00 R 3 year $75.00

Institutional Membership Correspondence Membership

(Institutions/Organizations) (Newsletter Only)

R 1 year $40.00 R 1 year $15.00

R 3 year $100.00 R 3 year $37.50

Please select the format in which you would like to receive your newsletter:

R Email (free) R Snail Mail (additional $5)

Name(s) (please print clearly): _____________________________________________

Parent or Guardian (if member is a minor): ___________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ______________

Email Address: ________________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________________________

March 2011 PNHS Newsletter

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Transcript of March 2011 PNHS Newsletter