Minnesota

Herpetological

Society

The newsletter of the

Contents

April Meeting Notice— General Meeting will be April 5th, 2013

White Snake Sale

March Speaker Recap: Ed Quinn; Salamanders and surveys

All MHS Newsletters are now online!

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President

Chris Smith 651.315.7760 President@mnherpsoc.com

Vice President Dāv Kaufman 612.669.4567

VicePresident@MnHerpSoc.com

Recording Secretary

Beth Girard 612.616.8431 RecSecretary@MnHerpSoc.com

Membership Secretary

Heather Clayton 612.886.7175 MemSecretary@MnHerpSoc.com

Treasurer Nancy Haig 763.434.8684

Treasurer@MnHerpSoc.com

Newsletter Editor

Ellen Heck 763.593.5414 NewsletterEditor@MnHerpSoc.com

Members at Large

Micole Hendricks 651.356.1669 MemberAtLarge2@MnHerpSoc.com

Rebecca Markowitz 409-750-0235 MemberAtLarge4@MnHerpSoc.com

Terry Odegaard 612.840.7674

MemberAtLarge1@MnHerpSoc.com

Peter Tornquist 952-797-6515

MemberAtLarge3@MnHerpSoc.com

COMMITTEES

Adoption Sarah Richard 612.781.9544

RealSarah@aol.com

Education Jan Larson 507.263.4391

Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com

Fostering

Nancy Haig 763.434.8684 NancHaig@CitiLink.com

C/O Bell Museum of Natural History

10 Church Street Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-0104

Stay informed! Join us on our forums! And, you can still leave us a Voice Mail: 612.326.6516

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 organiza-tion. 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 Cam-

pus 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:

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

© Copyright 2013, 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.

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

Cover photo by Jim Gerholdt

Cartoons by Fran Frisch

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4 Page 1

General Meeting Presentation

Friday April 5th, 7:00pm; 6:30pm Social Hour April is the White Snake Sale. There will be 2 or 3 rounds, depending on the number of items donated, with the live art auction being held between rounds. We accept cash, checks and credit cards. Contact Heather Clayton with questions.

http://www.mnherpsoc.com/content/april-meeting-white-snake-sale

We will also be having the annual Photo Contest. You must be a member to enter, but do not need to be present to

win. Voting will be done between rounds. Contact Beth Girard with questions.

http://www.mnherpsoc.com/content/photo-contest-rules

The March speaker was Ed Quinn, a Natural Resource Pro-

gram Consultant with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Trails. He presented a

research project he completed with Dr. Tim Matson, cur-rently serving as the Curator and Head of Vertebrate Zool-

ogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Three species of mole salamanders (Ambystoma sp.) from the Grand River drainage system in northeastern Ohio

were studied over a ten-year period beginning in 1993 (although the results from 1993 were not included in the

study.) In the early 1990’s there were many reports in the scientific literature, as well as public newspapers and peri-

odicals, hypothesizing about the causes of declining am-

phibian populations on a global scale. Unfortunately at that time there was little quantitative data to back up most

of the ideas.

It was important for answers to be found in the United

States, which can claim 25-30+% of all known salamander

species. In fact, the total biomass in some areas equals all resident small mammals and can be twice that of the

breeding birds in the same area. Amphibians play signifi-cant roles in ecosystems as both predator and prey, and

are recognized as being good indicators of environmental quality due to the permeability of their skin and, in many

species, the aquatic and terrestrial parts of their life cycle.

The study goals the researchers set were two-fold. First, they intended to collect quantitative date on populations of

three taxa of mole salamander at a protected northeast Ohio breeding pond; and secondly, to collect basic physio-

chemical data (basic water chemistry, hydroperiod, pH,

temperature, precipitation, metals present, etc.) that may suggest or rule out possible causes of the observed trends.

The first of the species investigated was the Spotted Sala-mander, Ambystoma maculatum, which is the largest of

the three. They are spring breeders in northeast Ohio and

begin arriving at ponds in mid-March. By the end of June they have mostly exited the pond. The Jefferson Salaman-

der complex, Ambystoma jeffersonianum, are mid-sized

salamanders that include a group of polyploids which are all female. They are spring breeders as well.

Marbled Salamanders, Ambystoma opacum, are fall breed-ers and the smallest of those studied. Although they are

quite common in southern Ohio, they are missing from

most of the central and northern portions of the state. They lay their eggs on the bottom of the pond before it fills

with water.

The study site was located at Indian Point in Lake County

between Grand River and Paine Creek. Most of the land is in a natural state located on one of the parks earliest par-

cels. It is isolated from other breeding ponds so very little

immigration occurred.

The salamanders were captured as they attempted to en-

ter or exit the pond using a drift fence and a pitfall array which surrounded the pond. This is a very effective proto-

col for capturing non-jumping animals. They put holes in

lids on the buckets to reduce opossum and raccoon preda-tion, which proved to be very effective. They placed leaf

litter in the bottom of the buckets to provide the captured animals some level of protection from the spring fluctua-

tions in the weather. They also put sponges in the buckets to serve as rafts in case the buckets filled during flooding.

Their method of marking the salamanders was toe clipping

using a 1-2-4-7 progression beginning with the proximal (interior) toe on each foot.

Spotted salamanders declined significantly during the study. Reasons seemed to include an insufficient hydro-

period as their larvae disperse from mid-August through

September and the pond usually dried up before that.

They were also predated upon by the larva of the other

two species. Other studies have shown that there is al-most a 100% mortality rate of larval spotted salamanders

in the presence of marbled salamanders. Only 20% of the

larvae survived to their first breeding, and there was an adult survivorship rate of about 73%.

Population Trends of Three Congeners of Mole Salamanders Submitted by Beth Girard

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4 Page 2

The Jefferson’s salamander complex suffered from the in-

sufficient hydroperiod as they transform late as well. The largest concern seemed to be copper toxicity. Chronic ex-

posure to copper significantly reduces survival of the larvae and the pond tested at 20 micrograms per liter. Other

studies have shown 100% mortality at lower levels (15 mi-

crograms/L). They also lacked enough males to breed with the large number of females. Approximately 20% survived

to their first breeding and the adult survivorship averaged 56%.

Marbled salamanders did NOT decline as the hydroperiod was almost ideal for this species. The larvae of the other

two species provided sufficient food for them and their lar-

vae was too large to be preyed upon, even by the adults, because the larvae were born the previous fall. More mar-

bled salamander larvae survived to their first breeding, and they also had an adult survivorship averaging 56%.

The three species face vastly different futures. The spotted

salamander may persist because there is a small degree of immigration from another pond. The Jefferson’s salaman-

der complex will likely become extirpated. The marbled salamander should, under current conditions, continue to

persist with a stable population.

Even in protected sites like this one, many amphibian spe-

cies are declining. Unfortunately many parks and nature

preserves are not large enough to function successfully when they are isolated and act independently. Active man-

agement is required to insure/restore amphibian diversity around the world.

The entire report can be accessed at http://

www.ohiobiologicalsurvey.org/wp-content/themes/ohio/images/Quinn_Matson_2011.pdf

Minnesota state parks serve many purposes. They pre-serve and restore Minnesota’s natural and cultural re-

sources. They educate and interpret these resources for

visitors and citizens; and they provide opportunities for ap-propriate forms of outdoor recreation.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Trails is responsible for development, admin-

istration, and management of:

• 24 multi-use state trails, 21 of which are developed

• 75 state parks and recreation areas, 8 waysides, and 56

state forest campgrounds and day use areas • Over 1,550 public water access sites

• 360 fishing piers and shorefishing sites • 33 water trails with over 4,400 miles of paddling oppor-

tunities

They manage more than 300,000 acres of which less than five percent is developed (roads/trails/facilitites.) They

protect and manage about 230 state and/or federal en-dangered, threatened, and special concern species at

1,000 sites on PAT-administered lands. They also oversee more than 1,000 historic structures, archaeological and

cemetery sites. To learn more about MNDNR Parks and

Trails, visit http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/parks_trails/

In 1999 and 2000, an internal audit was done which point-ed to the need for more surveys to be completed to help

the DNR better manage state lands. In 2000, on a car ride, Ed spoke with Jeff LeClere about the possibility of

MHS partnering with the DNR to survey the herpetofauna

of state parks. A year later the first MHS Annual Field Sur-vey was held and since that time 993 individual animals

have been surveyed by volunteers accounting for 1,757 man hours! Thirty-five county records have been set dur-

ing the twelve surveys done thus far.

All state parks, by statute, need to have a management

plan before they can be developed (roads, campgrounds,

etc.) and the surveys provide pertinent information to as-sist with the development of the plan. The first surveys

were held as close to the greater metro area as possible, however it is now necessary to move out farther. This

criteria, along with searches for particular species (i.e.

presence of four-toed salamanders), drive the site selec-tion.

Since 2001, MHS has conducted surveys on the following MNDNR-PAT lands.

2001 - Lake Maria State Park

2002 - Glacial Lakes State Park & St. Croix State Park

2003 - William O’Brien State Park

2004 - Upper Sioux Agency Sate Park

2005 - No survey done

2006 - Sibley State Park

2007 - Frontenac State Park

2008 - Afton State Park

2009 - Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

2010 - Charles A. Lindbergh State Park

2011 - Rice Lake State Park

2012 - Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

In 2013, the survey will be held at Glendalough State Park June 14-16, 2013. The DNR is currently working on a unit

natural resource management plan for the park and they are very interested in the prairie fauna. The park was es-

tablished in 1991, and has almost 2,000 acres with more than 800 being restored prairie and savanna. It is located

near Battle Lake, MN, about 200 miles northwest of the

Twin Cities.

To learn more about the MHS rules concerning survey par-

ticipation, visit http://www.mnherpsoc.com/content/research-and-field-trips If you are interested in partici-

pating in the 2013 MHS Annual Field Survey, contact Jeff

LeClere at Reptilia74@aol.com and watch the MHS news-letter for further details!

A copy of “A History of MHS Field Surveys” by Jeffrey B. LeClere (October 2011) can be found on the MHS website

Volume 33 Number 4

Hello, everyone! It’s that time of year again when we begin prepara-

tions for the Annual White Snake Sale! The White Snake Sale for 2013 will be held during the general meeting on April 5th. This is one of our

largest fund-raising events of the year, where hundreds of items are bid on and won by the membership. In keeping with tradition, there

will be a silent auction with 2-3 rounds of bidding, as well as a live auc-

tion for some of our nicer items. So start saving up for nice high bids, and gather up some of your nice herp-related items to donate!

We will not be accepting used glass aquariums this year unless they are in excellent condition, and we will not accept more than a few. Please

do not bring large heavy items to the event; bring pictures with de-scriptions of the items. The winners of these items will make arrange-

ments with you to pick them up after the auction. Photos and descrip-

tions may be emailed in advance to newslettereditor@mnherpsoc.com.

We are also beginning to seek volunteers to help with the auction,

which means up to a couple of hours of help over the course of the evening labeling items, putting them on tables or bringing them away

after the auction rounds, some data entry, etc. Pizza and beverages are

provided for volunteers. You are also given time to participate in the bidding.

If you are interested in donating items please contact Ellen at newslet-tereditor@mnherpsoc.com. If you are interested in volunteering for the

event please contact Heather at memsecretary@mnherpsoc.com or you may make a post to the forum on the MHS website,

www.mnherpsoc.com. Thank you in advance for your participation and

support of the MHS Annual White Snake Sale, 2013!

April 2013 Page 3

Photo Contest

The photos/art projects will be on display in the meeting room during the April Meeting. All MHS members get to vote

for their favorite projects. Voting will take place during the meeting and winners will be announced the same evening. Contact Beth Girard at recsecretary@mnherpsoc.com

Categories:

1. Herps in the Wild/ in a Natural Setting: Photographs of animal(s) taken outside and/or in a natural setting. A natural setting that has been staged is also permitted.

2. Herps and Humans / Non-Wild Setting: Subject(s) should be in a non-wild setting – i.e. photographs taken

around your home, on or with something that is manmade. Some examples of this are: herps in their cages, peo-ple holding a herp, or photographs of animals taken at a zoo.

3. Kids' submissions: Any photo/artwork submission by a member who is 16 years of age or younger.

4. Mixed Media: Herp related artwork by a member or photographs taken by a member that have been altered/

enhanced using photo editing software in any manner other than cropping.

There will also be an award issued for the “People’s Choice”: Members will also vote for one submission from the above categories that they feel is the best overall photograph / piece of artwork. The submission that receives the most

votes is the winner of this category.

Rules:

You must be a current member of the MHS and be the one that took the photograph. However, you do not need to

own the herp in the photo.

All entries need to show herps or be herp related.

Color and/or black and white photographs are acceptable.

Artwork is defined as sculptures, drawings, paintings, etc.

Photos should be no smaller than 5 x 7 and no larger than 11x 14 (outside dimension).

Mounting or matting of photos/art is recommended but not necessary.

Members are allowed to submit up to 2 photos/items in each category.

On the back of the photo, please include: your name and which category you want your picture to compete in.

Volume 33 Number 4

CNAH

The Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH) posts, among other things, job various job and volunteer opportunities. If interested, check them out at http://

www.cnah.org/Default.aspx

Florida Python Hunt

The Great South Florida Python Hunt ended with the nearly 1600 hunters capturing 68 snakes. For differing opinions of the hunt, check out the links below. And page 7.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130219-florida-pythons-hunting-

animals-snakes-invasive-science/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/22/120122-florida-python-hunt-

opinion-science-invasive-species/

Education Outreach Video Series

The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy ( http://amphibianandreptileconservancy.org/ ), in partnership with video producers The

Sticky Tongue Project ( http://thestickytongue.org/ ) has launched a new education-outreach video web series starring Whit Gibbons.

This year-long, 24-episode series features "fascinating facts and helpful conservation tips" for everyone "from home-owners to professional land and wildlife managers." A special episode devoted exclusively to field herpers is scheduled

for spring.

You can view the introductory episode here: http://youtu.be/LPHCl25BpBM or here: http://vimeo.com/53607787#at=0 The second episode, released this morning, is available here: http://youtu.be/5x8rZC7vIMk or here: http://

vimeo.com/54240556 You can subscribe to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy's YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/

TheAmphibiansReptile

April 2013 Page 4

Marla Backer

Sage Backer

Chris Barrett

Linda Bittner

Liz Bosman

Fred Bosman

Arielle Bouley

Andrea Braucks

Harlee Braucks

Angie Cairl

Frank Cairl

Anne-Marie Carter

Heather Clayton

Brandy Danaki

Claire Dorton

Holly Egerer

Noah Ehret

Linnea Fink-Bittner

Beth Girard

Laurie Grassel

Amanda Grassel

Alicia Grassel

Vern Grassel

Tom Grassel

Nancy Haig

Bruce Haig

Nancy Hakomaki

Ellen Heck

Scott Hendricks

Micole Hendricks

Erica Hoaglund

Nando Hots

Cy Hots

Amber Husted

Dav Kaufman

John Kilner

Devon Klemenko

Sonja Koolmo

Marit Lang

Mariah Lang

Jan Larson

Merle Larson

Jeff LeClere

Serrianna Likness

Josh Mahlow

Rose Maunu

Jacob Mee

John Moriarty

Bill Moss

Terry Odegaard

Jessie Payne

Alex Perry

Victoria Perry

Mike Peterson

Kelly Portal

Robin Portal

Sarah Richard

Geoge Richard

Lucas Rick

Thomas Rorvig

Raelene Rueber

Chris Rueber

Mark Schmidtke

A. B. Sheldon

Chris Smith

Peter Tornquist

Natalie Tovella

Renee Valois

Max Vasek

Corrine Vernick

Crystal Welle

Thank You Volunteers

Below is the list of people who volunteered 10 hours or more in 2012. This year people will be offered a choice of re-

ward from the items given in previous years. These will be available at the April general meeting.

If your name is not on the list and it should be, please contact Chris Smith at President@MnHerpSoc.com

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4 Page 5

Board Minute Highlights for January 5, 2013

The meeting, presided over by Chris Smith, was called to order at 6:17pm.

HOLIDAY BANQUET RECAP: MHS collected $302.00 for the Holiday Banquet. MHS paid out $308.00 which paid for the

2011 banquet room rental. This year’s rental will be paid next year. Forty-four people paid $5/person, plus $72 was raised in the raffle. Forty-five people attended the banquet but not all had paid. The Holiday Banquet is a break-even

event. A chair person for the 2013 Holiday Banquet needs to be found.

GRANTS: John Moriarty is stepping. The Grants Chair is an MHS member who receives the grant proposals, reviews them, and writes up recommendations. The Chair can simply serve as a moderator. This will be discussed further next

month. The next grant proposals are due May 1st (for July fund dispersal.)

SURVEY – ROBERTS BIRD SANCTUARY: A volunteer from Roberts Bird contacted MHS about conducting a one-day Bio-

Blitz this spring. This may be a good opportunity to conduct a field survey training for MHS members. Due to the size

of the sanctuary, the number of participants may need to be limited.

STATE FAIR EXHIBIT UPDATE: Beth Girard contacted Carrol Henderson last September about the possibility of MHS

participating at the 2013 State Fair doing hands-on programs on a daily basis. A proposal will be sent to the MN DNR in March. The MNDNR Is renovating the space where the MHS animals are housed in the building at the fairgrounds.

New enclosures are being constructed and this will increase the number of animals MHS will have on exhibit.

The meeting adjourned at 9:17pm. For a complete copy of the minutes, please contact the Recording Secretary at

recsecretary@mnherpsoc.com

Board Minute Highlights for February 2, 2013

The meeting was called to order at 6:05pm. Approximately 80 people attended the February 1st general meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS: The President requested End-of-Year reports from all MHS committees. This includes Adop-tion/Foster Program, Como Cottage/Renaissance Festival, Education/Hands-On Events, Field Survey, Grants, Holiday

Banquet, Library, Newsletter, Photo Contest, Raffle, RenFest, Rodent Sales, State Fair, White Snake sale, and other mis-cellaneous committees.

GRANTS: Heather Clayton made a motion to give $500 to each of the three grant applications being considered. Dav seconded; the motion carried with no opposition

Rebecca Tarvin (University of Texas at Austin) for a project investigating whether or not the origins of alkaloid insensi-

tivity influenced the diversity of poison frogs.

David A. Mifsud for the Michigan Herp Atlas Project Outreach and Data Collection Efforts.

David A. Mifsud for the Kinixys (genus of turtles native to Africa) Database Project

Chris Smith has contacted several University of Minnesota faculty members soliciting interest as the new Grants Chair-

person.

RODENT PRICES: It was agreed that the quantity of packaging on medium (10), large (6) and jumbo (5) rats will now only be available in the quantity in which they are packaged. This will eliminate the need for rebagging the larger ro-

dents. Mice and smaller rats come in much larger quantities (50-100) so they will still be offered in smaller numbers. The Haigs are keeping the rodent orders in two older freezers owned by MHS, although they are paying the electrical

cost on the two inefficient units. Nancy will look into the possibility of MHS purchasing a new efficient chest freezer for this purpose and the two MHS currently owns can be sold at the White Snake Sale or in the MHS classifieds. Beth will

listen to the current SKYPE message and make certain it includes information about the final rodent order date

(Wednesday of the week PRIOR TO the general meeting.)

REFRESHMENTS: Jeff LeClere has been approached by several members (Colleen Melander and Alex Fulton) who are

interested in starting to serve refreshments at MHS general meetings. Jeff is going to ask anyone interested to attend a board meeting so it can be discussed further. He believes they would like to start out providing the refreshments

(pretzels and baked goods) and then form a committee to keep it going. It has been done in the past during the break

at a table up front. People might stick around for the raffle, etc. if snacks were available.

The meeting adjourned at 9:23pm. For a complete copy of the February Board Minutes, contact the Recording Secre-tary at recsecretary@mnherpsoc.com

Adoption Report for March

Prepared by Nancy Haig

Adopted at the meeting were: Cuban Treefrog, Dumpy Treefrog,

Reeves Turtle, Bearded Dragon, 2 Ball Pythons, Cornsnake, Cen-

tral American Boa, Columbian Red Tailed Boa, Dumeril’s Boa and

a Desert Kingsnake. Six members adopted 10 animals; 4 Red

Eared Sliders were outsourced ; and 2 animals- a Columbia Red

Tailed Boa and a Ball Python will be fostered until next month.

Help Wanted!

We are still looking for people to fill the position of webmaster. If you have basic experience with website maintenance and

HTML, please consider stepping up for the society! Drupal expe-rience is a plus. Contact Chris Smith with questions.

We are in need of two volunteers to assist the MHS Treasurer with the 2011 year end audit. This is where we cross-check the

income & expense statements with the actual receipts and make sure everything is documented properly.

It takes about 2-3 hours following a checklist and reviewing the results. For convenience we can meet at someone’s home. This

is a great way to learn the ins and outs of the MHS.

Contact Nancy Haig at nanchaig.citilink.com or 763-434-8684 if interested

We are in need of members to help out with the adoptions dur-

ing the Friday general meeting.

If you are interested contact Nancy Haig or Beth Girard at the next Meeting.

MHS Reports and Announcements

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4 Page 6

Board Meeting

The April board meeting will be held April 6 at 6pm at the St Paul Student Union. This is just down the hill from Borlaug Hall.

Check the posted schedule at the Union for the meeting room number.

Attention Rodent Buyers !

This will be the last month to buy the larger rats at the old price! As of MAY 1st we will sell the Medium, Large and Jumbo

Rats by the bag quantity instead of by the dozen. You will also see an increase in some of the pricing due to the rise in our dis-

tributors’ costs.

All mice, weaned and small rats will still be sold by the dozen.

Medium Rats: 1 bag = 10 rats = $22.

Large Rats: 1 bag = 6 rats = $ 17.

Jumbo Rats: 1 bag = 5 rats =$ 16.

Old prices and quantities will be good until the end of April 2013

Treasurer's Report for Feb 2013 prepared By Nancy Haig,

Beginning Balance $ 22,270.73

Income:

Membership $ 255.00

Raffle $ 48.00

Adoption $ 80.00

Hands Ons $ 55.00

Rodent Sales $ 358.00

Total Income $ 796.00

Expense

Newsletter printing $ 179.33

Newsletter postage $ 18.80

Program $ 100.00

vet costs $ 105.00

Rodent cost $ 231.95

Grants $ 1,500.00

Total Expense $ 2,135.08

Cash Increase/Decrease $ (1,339.08)

Ending Balance $ 20,931.65

Placement of cash holdings

Checking $ 20,931.65

Savings $ 2,200.00

Paypal $ 319.09

Cash on hand $ 175.00

Total $ 23,625.74

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4 Page 7

MHS Reports and Announcements

Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule

Lincoln Center Elementary School Science Night—357 9th Ave N, South St Paul. Friday April 5th, 5pm-8pm

Lawn and Garden Show—14800 34th Ave, Plymouth. Friday April 12th, 6pm-9pm and Saturday April 13th, pam-1pm

Rogers Elementary School—12521 Maine St, Rogers. Thursday April 28th, 6pm-8pm

Battle Creek Science Night—605 Ruth St, St Paul. Thursday April 25th, 5:30pm-7pm

Glacier Hills Environmental Fair - 3825 Glacier Drive, Eagan. Friday May 17th, 5pm-7pm

Plymouth Environmental Fair—Zachary Lane Elementary School, 4350 Zachary Lane, Plymouth. Thursday May

23rd, 5pm-8pm

Phalen Lake Park—Watershed Event—Saturday June 1st, 11am-4pm

Day Camp, Bearpath Golf Course—18100 Bearpath Trail, Eden Prairie. Tuesday June 25th

Day Camp, Edina Country Club—5100 Wooddale Ave, Edina. Thursday August 6th, 10am-12noon

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 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.

Field Survey

This year’s field survey will be held at Glen-

dalough State Park June 14-16. Information

will be available at the April and May meet-

ings, as well as online and in the May news-

letter.

MHS has a few campsites reserved in the

main campground. Campsites are available

to MHS members on a first come, first

served basis on Friday, June 14. Be prepared

so share sites with fellow members. If these

spots are all taken by early arriving mem-

bers, later members may purchase other

available sites.

April 2013 Volume 33 Number 4 Page 8

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.com/forums/members/classifieds

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application

Active Memberships: Sustaining ($60/year) Contributing ($40/year) Basic ($20/year) Printed Newsletter ($5/year plus membership)

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.

Name

Address

City, State, Zip

Phone Email List in MHS Directory? Yes No

Contact information only? Yes No

Herp related interests

New

Renewal

Membership #

Type

Check #

Advertising Policies

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 dis-

cretion 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-

fied ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be

run three (3) consecutive months, after which time they

may be resubmitted.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to

the MHS Membership Secretary at the general

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 Herpeto-

logical 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*

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

Hoppers 8-11 grams $8/dz

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 $24/dz

Large Adult 200-240 grams $30/dz

Jumbo 250-350 grams $36/dz

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 ro-dents on hand, so if you attempt to place an order after the deadline, there is no way to fill it.

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

MHS Voice Mail:

612.326.6516

MHS Web Page:

www.MnHerpSoc.com

This newsletter is printed on recycled paper

Next Meeting: Friday - March 1st- 7:00 pm Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus