The Herpetology Conference
 including the 31st Annual All Florida Herpetology Event


Max Nickerson welcoming the 2002 Herpetology Conference audience

Bob Henderson & Max Nickerson promoting Bob's book on Neotropical tree boas in 2003

2006 Keynote Speaker Philippe de Vosjoli

Capt. Ernie Jillson recounts tales from the Miami-Dade Venom Bank history

For two days in spring each year, hundreds of people converge in Gainesville, Florida to participate in The Herpetology Conference, the longest running regional herp symposium in the country. The Florida Museum of Natural History's Division of Herpetology convened the first conference in 1976 and has hosted every conference held since then. The conference is sponsored in part by The Gourmet Rodent and is supported by Santa Fe Community College Herpetology Club, which provides volunteers. The gathering brings together amateur and professional herpetologists for talks, workshops, sharing of information, and exhibits of books, art, paraphernalia, and information. The conference also gives students and literature collectors the opportunity to bid on herp reprints and books, many of which are rare.

The 2002 silent auction featured hundreds of rare reprints and natural history books of Emeritus Professor Larry Harris (UF Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

Participant Peter Pritchard chatting with fellow participant in 2006

Speakers often include members of various professional and amateur organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, universities, governmental organizations, educational and conservation groups, and regional herpetological societies. Presentations cover every aspect of herpetology, including biodiversity, natural history, and conservation of wild amphibians and reptiles, as well as the latest information on proper husbandry of captive herps. The conference also has a graduate student track, allowing a handful of students to present their research. On Saturday, the camaraderie of the conference continues into the evening with a barbecue that ends with the annual live auction, where hundreds of herps and herp-related items are auctioned off as the the attendees and speakers drink beer and socialize.

The 2006 live auction included herp art, paraphernalia, books, and livations

On Saturday and Sunday, March 29-30, 2008, The Herpetology Conference, including the 31st Annual All Florida Herpetology Event, will be held at the Paramount Plaza Hotel and Suites Conference Center in Gainesville, Florida.

Schedule for The Herpetology Conference, March 29-30, 2008

Saturday, March 29
8:45 Welcome & Opening remarks
9:00 Harvey B. Lillywhite, University of Florida Sea Snakes, Water, and Climate Change
9:40 Philip Marley, Georgia Southern University Comparison of Home Range Size and Reproduction in Female Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) based on Radio-telemetry and Long-term Recapture Studies
10:00 Catherine E. Newman* & Leslie J. Rissler, University of Alabama Phylogeography of the Southern Leopard Frog (Rana sphenocephala)
10:20 Break
10:50 Kenneth J. Chapin, Eckerd College Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Herpetology
11:10 Rick Schaffer, Stanton College Prep Reflections of a Young Chelonologist in Eden
11:30 Robert T. Zappalorti, Herpetological Associates, Inc. The Indigo Snake: A Species Living on the Edge
12:10 Lunch on your own
1:30 Keynote speaker: Jeff Ettling, Saint Louis Zoological Park Operation Armenia Viper: Using Radiotelemetry to Study an Endangered Viper
2:30 Lori A. Brinn, University of Florida Assessment of Differences in Physical Properties of Sand Associated With Beach Nourishment and Effects on Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Sea Turtle Nesting in Northwest Florida
2:50 Break
3:20 Mario Mota, University of Florida The Impact of Beach Restoration on Sea Turtle Incubation and Hatchling Physiology
3:40 Sophia L. Celino, University of Florida Alumna A Comparison of Two Northern Cricket Frog Populations and Their Habitats During Drought Conditions in Southeastern NY and the FL Panhandle
4:00 Theresa M. Walters, Central Michigan University Do Angry Snakes Bite More? Antipredator Behavior in Neonate Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus)
4:20 Shawn Jacobsen, Auburn University Memories of George Folkerts
6:00 Barbeque & Live Auction
Sunday, March 30
9:15 Welcome & Opening remarks
9:30 Joseph Mitchell, Mitchell Ecological Research Serv., LLC "Urban Herpetology" A Global Review from SSAR
10:10 Yurii Kornilev, University of Florida Detecting Impacts of Human Disturbance on the Thermal Profiles of Free-ranging Suwannee Cooters in a North Central Florida River
10:30 Break
11:00 Phillip G. Frank Jr., California Academy of Sciences New discoveries on Trinidad and Tobago
11:20 Matthew A. H. Walters, Central Michigan University Spatial Ecology of Male Northern Water Snakes,Nerodia sipedon, in the Beaver Archipelago
11:40 Daniel W. Pearson, Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection Ecological Husbandry and Reproduction of the Madagascar Spider and Flat-tailed Tortoises
12:00 Lunch on your own
1:30 Bill Love, Blue Chameleon Ventures Herp Photography: Beyond Snapshots
2:30 Anthony Lau, University of Florida Composition of a Turtle Assemblage in a North Florida Spring-fed Black Water Stream
2:50 Break
3:00 Todd S. Campbell, University of Tampa Paradise Lost: The Status of Introduced Amphibian and Reptile Management in Florida
3:40 Max A. Nickerson & J. Kelly Byram, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida Science and Amphibian Populations
4:00 Chuck Schaffer, University of North Florida A Tangled Web: Linnaeus and Testudine Taxonomy
4:20 Jeffrey W. Ackley, Eckerd College Watersnake Eden: Record Biomasses in Urban Florida Retention Ponds
4:40 Jesse Senko, University of Florida Preliminary Results on the Fine Scale Movement Patterns of Immature Black Sea Turtles, Chelonia mydas, at a Coastal Foraging Area in Baja California Sur, Mexico

To join us at the conference, complete and send in the registration form, available below. Mail in your form by the advance registration deadline to take advantage of our early registration price.

The Herpetology Conference 2008 Registration Form

Exhibitors should visit our Exhibitors Contract

For hotel reservations, telephone or write the Paramount, 2900 Sw 13th St, Gainesville, FL 32608 tel: (352) 377-4000, fax: (352) 377-7766.
*Please note we have negotiated a special room rate of $89 / room for up to 4 people. You must mention that you are attending The Herpetology Conference to obtain this rate! You must reserve a room by February 28, 2008 to obtain the reduced rate. These rooms are strictly on a first come first served basis. Room availability cannot be guaranteed through the conference date. Transportation to and from the airport is available by hotel courtesy van.


The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission display table.

Eric Thiss of Serpent's Tale Natural History Book Distributors in the vendor room in 2002.

Email The Herpetology Conference Coordinator at apitt@ufl.edu or call (352) 392-1721 ext. 479 for more information.

Would You Like To Contribute To Reptile & Amphibian Conservation ?

The Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Corps (RACC) is not a huge bureaucratic organization with enormous overhead costs, but a group of professional herpetologists, students and interested donors making a difference. Donations benefit worldwide herpetological conservation efforts under the direction of the RACC and attract matching funds to increase conservation efforts. If donating by check, please make a separate check payable to the:

University of Florida Foundation

Earmark the check for:RACC

Donations may be made at any time and forwarded to: RACC, c/o Max A. Nickerson, Curator of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA.

——— See You at 'The Herpetology Conference 2008' ———

 
Please visit our wonderful sponsors to show a BIG thanks!