Minnesota Herpetological Society

The newsletter of the

Contents

Speaker: Dr. Amy Kizer

January Speaker Recap: Dave Crawford: Knee-deep in Bullsnakes

February Meeting Notice—General Meeting will be February 1st, 2013

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2

Think Spring!

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 MemberAtLarge4@MnHerpSoc.com Terry Odegaard 612.840.7674 MemberAtLarge1@MnHerpSoc.com Peter Tornquist 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

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 1

General Meeting Presentation

Friday February 1st, 7 P.M.

Dr. Amy Kizer is a 2002 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She practices small animal and exotic animal medicine at Lexington Pet Clinic in Eagan. She also is staff veterinarian at Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium in the Mall of America. She has a special interest in aquatic and reptile medicine and surgery.

The evening’s speaker on January 11, 2012, was Dave Crawford, a former DNR Naturalist at Interstate State Park and Wild River State Park. He spoke about one of his fa-vorite activities in life … being Knee-Deep in Bullsnakes! He has spent the last few years documenting bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer) and eastern hognose snakes (Heterodon platirhi-nos). The location, some-where in east central Minne-sota, was not disclosed due to concerns the property owners have about trespass-ers and poachers. They have allowed Carol Hall, Jeff LeClere, Dave Crawford, and other volunteers access for the study. According to Dave, “2012 was a very good year! There was one day I felt like I was tripping over bullsnakes everywhere I went!” Hence, the title of his pro-gram.

Dave is excited about his project for a variety of rea-sons. He enjoys being outdoors and having the opportuni-ty to document and video tape snakes and their amazing behaviors. In the decades that he served as a naturalist he often encountered people who were afraid of snakes, or concerned that a snake would bite them. He has filmed several species of snakes reacting to an encounter with his camera in one of two ways. Bluff and strike, or bluff and hope the giant eye retreats! Which species struck? The bullsnake, common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) and western fox snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) struck, some more than once! Although eastern hognose snakes rarely bit, Dave said the literature mentions that they normally strike with closed mouths. Dave showed video of an east-ern hognose striking repeatedly with an open mouth, obvi-ously this snake had not read the books! Until 2012, Dave

had never been bitten by a bullsnake but he now has five bites to his credit. One bullsnake he handled this year was quite riled up when he approached, and bit him even though he used a pillowcase in an attempt to calm it down and pick it up without being bitten. This individual contin-ued to hiss and strike even when in the hand. Thanks to

the pre-glottal keel it is quite a threatening ges-ture! He also filmed an eastern milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum) which not only bit him, but did not want to release his finger!

The project, under the direction of Carol Hall and Jeff LeClere, began documenting activity locations and timing of activity and are now identifying indi-viduals and the interaction between individu-als. During 2012, the GPS distance walked by Dave was in excess of 200 miles, which was more than five times than the distance he walked in 2011. The video and photos he took in 2012 alone fill 46 GB of storage. The study site is located in

the St. Croix River Valley and on the Anoka Sand Plain. It is potentially very good habitat but it is facing an increas-ing level of impact from human interaction. In 2012, the first sighting of a snake at the study site was on March 24th. A great deal of information is collected with each sighting including cloud cover, air temperature, soil tem-perature (at the surface, approximately six inches below the surface and at ten inches below the surface), the body temperature of the snake; and other information about the encounter.

Some of the behaviors noted this year were unfamiliar to Dave. He showed video of a male eastern hognose snake presumably tracking a female by rapidly moving its head in a side to side jerky sweeping motion. The next day, March 25th, there were two eastern hognose snakes breeding at the same location, and this interaction was captured on film.

(continued on the next page)

Knee-deep in Bullsnakes Submitted by Beth Girard

Photo by Jeff Leclere

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 2

When Dave approached, the female attempted to return to the nearest burrow, dragging the male behind her. He also watched several males “taste” both sides of a blade of grass with their tongues by sweeping their heads from side to side.

The study has also provided him the opportunity to watch and video tape males in combat. Basically it is a “head-wrestling match” in which they each try to pin each other to the ground. On occasion it gets very exciting and in-cludes a chase! Courtship was another behavior watched and taped. Several times he observed the male rubbing the female’s back, or even the ground above her! After copulation, he often saw the “couple” lying together coiled side by side.

While doing the survey, Dave wondered what impact, if any, his presence had on the subjects. In the last days of March he came upon an eastern hognose snake that did not retreat from its basking position when he ap-proached. It stayed even when he touched the snake with a temperature probe to gather information for the study. Unfortunately, five days later he found a carcass that he believes was that same individual. Clues around the site pointed to the distinct possibility of a weasel being the predator. For the most part, he believes the snakes don’t even notice him. He has had bullsnakes run into his shoes and continue on their way as he stood in their paths!

Dave also wondered if he would be able to distinguish one individual from another. He devised a system using a vari-ety of markers based on scalation patterns on the head. This included differences in the eye stripe; the inter-mediate scales that separate the prefrontal scales; the count of labial scales in front of the eye (usually four, but sometimes five); symmetrical differences; color; shape of scales and marks that remind him of particular objects; etc. A few examples are Mellow Yellow who is very mellow and very yellow; Omega who sports a dark mark that re-sembles the Greek letter omega above the rostral scale; and Texas who bears a dark mark on the supraocular scale that greatly resembles the state of Texas! Each Identifica-tion Sheet includes the nickname, gender and age (juvenile or adult) if known, observations (when and where), de-scriptive features, length, and additional pertinent com-ments. You can see some examples by visiting the Snake-book website on Facebook (in the public section at (http://www.facebook.com/snakebookresearch) and view some of the identification sheets Dave has put together. Don’t miss Bright Spot … the longest (73 inches) and heaviest (3 ½ pounds) found thus far. Dave has not found a system to accurately tell the eastern hognose snakes apart yet.

Some of the snakes have had transponders (a little larger than a grain of rice) inserted under the skin. This has proven helpful to identify snakes that were DOR (dead on the road) and one whose remains were discovered in coy-ote scat! The id sheets, along with the photos others take when they see one of the snakes, should help to provide

information about their movement throughout the sea-son. This year, he followed one bullsnake for over a mile before Dave gave up for the day. He is now mapping their sightings and will continue to do so next year … and the next … and the next! This will also allow the study to ex-amine burrow fidelity in breeding females. Of the 104 snakes found so far, only two individuals have been found in more than one year, and most (79) were found in 2012. 76 of the 104 (75%) have only been observed one time, so clearly more data is needed. Visit Snakebook and check out the records for Chevron and Eyedots!

By pulling all of the data together, Dave has been able to track some of the reproductive behaviors. Dottie used three burrows between April 12th and 24th, and she stayed in the last one for a week! After she left, a second female showed up in Dottie’s burrow. On May 4th another female (Chevron) moved in and she used it for 17 days! The males tended to stray farther, although 3Spot stayed in a relatively small area for almost three weeks in April. Golf was the only female he documented moving over a half mile at that time. The data has also given him a timeline of activity. They are very busy above ground in the spring; followed by a period where they will bask for long periods of time without moving around too much; then a time when no bullsnakes are observed above ground; and finally a period (August) when hatchlings are seen (or their shed skins giving evidence of their location) but relatively few adults are leaving the burrows.

Several (8-10) bullsnakes this year were observed with some type of skin infection when they emerged from bru-mation. This year, the researchers will attempt to capture any of the bullsnakes exhibiting signs of this fungal or viral infection and take scrapings to be examined by a veterinar-ian and hopefully to identify the source of the skin irrita-tion.

If you would like to help with the study in 2013, contact:

Jeff LeClere, Project Coordinator, Minnesota Biological Survey Minnesota Department of Natural Resources E-mail: JeffLeClere@state.mn.us; Ph: 651-259-5161

You may also contact Dave at Naturalist-Dave@hotmail.com

In 2013, the researchers hope to see more “repeat” snakes from previous years; learn more about their move-ments; establish a baseline for a population estimate; ex-pand to cover additional species of snakes; locate some egg-laying sites and map them to see if they utilize the same sights as in previous years; locate brumation sights and determine if they re-use and or share those locations; get video tape of a female nesting; and see how many times Dave will be bitten!! Check out the website (http://www.facebook.com/snakebookresearch) and consider join-ing the fun!

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 3

Book Review Submitted by Heather Clayton

Gila Monster: Facts and Folklore of America’s Aztec Lizard (1991, First Edition) By David Brown & Neil Carmony

Hello, readers! This is the first of what I hope will be several reviews of books kept in the MHS library. I hope to submit one every month or two, but don’t quote me on that. This is not something I do for a living, so let’s hope my skills de-velop with practice. If you have any suggestions for herp-related books the MHS may want to add to the library, or if you have ideas or helpful remarks for me, please feel free to speak up! It is my hope that the membership will become more involved in the library, and help us flesh it out into an ever-improving collection!

Gila Monster is divided into two parts, the first covering the natural history of Gila Monsters while the second covers the relationship over time between humans and this reptile. In discussing the natural history of the Gila Monster, the authors describe the animal in terms of appearance, movement, etc. Sim-ilar species are also listed, which is primarily the Mexican Beaded Lizard, as expected. The authors discuss the fossil history and geographic distribution of this venomous lizard, as well as a bit about physiology. This section of the book includes information on where the Gila is found now, and descriptions of those areas. This includes topics of climate, components to a preferred Gila habitat (scrub brush, rocks, etc.), and how the Gila goes about living its life in these areas. Subjects such as preferred prey items, reproduction, and conservation/population status in the wild, to name a few topics are re-viewed.

I personally find the data in the first section of the book to probably be a lit-tle outdated, but in my opinion it is very interesting to see how far data and information has come even over the past 20 years. Science is always improv-ing, and reading about how things were done as recently as this book was written is a testament to that. That the book covers history before it helps, because you can learn a lot and see the progression all in one place.

The second part of the book is about how people have related to the Gila Monster over time. I found this part of the book most interesting, just due to my personal interests. The Gila occurs in the Western US and Northern Mexico, and is very present among Native American history and folklore. This book spends some time on this, as well as some ac-counts taken from early Westerners, Mexicans, and Americans in general. I guess the part of this book that I paid the most attention to is the section in the second part which goes over various stories which were told over time. Several of them are completely or mostly false, exaggerations and tales spun from some legend or myth. Other stories, probably more realistic, are also relayed. What I liked about this part is that the likelihood of the stories being true or at least based in based is discussed.

Also in the second section of the book, the venomous nature of the Gila is covered, from its history, when people were still trying to figure out if the Gila is venomous, all the way to more current information on bite treatment, uses for ven-om, etc. Other ways the Gila and humans have a relationship includes things like the Gila in film and literature, legal protection of the animal, and what it symbolizes.

In short, if you are one of the readers who prefers only the most current, up-to-date books or nothing, this one may not be for you. But if you are one of those readers who like to see where we have come from, and learn a little history, and

CNAH Announcement

The 38th Annual Symposium of the Desert Tortoise Council (Council) is scheduled for February 15 – 17, 2013 at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you have an interest in the current status of the desert tortoise population in the wild, the threats to the species, the current research studies related to genetics and conservation, the efforts to preserve the tortoise, or if you just want to network with others who are interested in desert tortoises, then you are encouraged to attend the Symposium. Just visit www.deserttortoise.org/symposium/index.html to find out all of the information.

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 4

Random Notes In 2013 the Symposium will be held in southern Illinois on Labor Day

weekend.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has posted some interesting statistics on U.S. pet ownership.

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx

Release of Herpers documentary series a first for Minnesota Released by Lucinda Winter of MnFilmTV

(Minneapolis, January 17, 2013) Minnesota Film and TV is pleased to announce the release of Minnesota filmmaker Dāv Kaufman’s third installment in the Herpers documentary series, the first independently produced documentary fran-chise to be created here.

The Herpers feature-length documentary series both explores and celebrates the lives of people who are infatuated with reptiles and amphibians. The term “Herper” is a moniker for those individuals derived from the word “Herpetology”, the study of reptiles and amphibians.

Herpers documentary director Dāv Kaufman is a critically acclaimed novelist and award-winning filmmaker. His first film 13 Hours in a Warehouse (2008) won the prestigious Gold Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival and was the first Minnesota-made horror film to be released in China.

The first film in the Herpers series, Herpers, was released in 2009. It profiles high rolling Herpers ranging from Slash of Guns n’ Roses and Chad Brown of the New England Patriots to python breeders who consistently make over seven fig-ures a year breeding snakes. The film won seven independent film awards and sold more than 5,000 DVD copies inter-nationally.

The commercial success of Herpers led to the release of Herpers II on DVD in the fall of 2011. The sequel focuses on the conservation of reptiles and amphibians in their native environment. It was filmed at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center, a private reserve of rain forest habitat founded by Minnesota native, Brian Kubicki. The film also ex-plores legislative issues involving reptile keeping in the US, and the history of the eclectic herpers’ culture.

In October of 2012, Minnesota film history was made with the DVD release of the third documentary in the series Her-pers III: Tales from the Field. The feature-length documentary celebrates the fascinating characters who travel the globe to observe reptiles and amphibians in their native habitats, much as birders do. Segments were filmed in Minneso-ta as well as Australia and Costa Rica.

All three films in the series were posted in Minnesota and are being globally distributed by Ophis Entertainment.

Ophis Entertainment is a Minnesota-based company founded by filmmaker Dāv Kaufman in 2003. Their offices are located in Long Lake. Further information can be found at www.ophisentertainment.com

Minnesota Film and TV is a full-service film commission working to advance Minnesota’s economy and enhance its

IHS Symposium Vouchers The IHS has given the MHS two vouchers for the registration fee for the 2013 IHS in New Orleans July 31-Aug 3 2013. Standard registration is $135.

http://internationalherpetologicalsymposium.com/

Glen (Jake) Jacobson is taking applications to be awarded the vouchers, one at a time (ie, not a pair of tickets, but two tickets).

The vouchers cover registration only, not travel, lodging or food.

Anyone interested in applying should not have attended in the last 5 years, or who would have attended anyways—the idea is to encourage peo-ple who have not previously attended to go.

Anyone interested should send an application/request/'why should they be picked to go' to Jake at herplaw@mvtvwireless.com

Python Update As most people in the herp community are aware, burmese pythons

are creating problems as an invasive species in south Florida.

A python hunt has been initiated as one way of coping with them

http://planetsave.com/2013/01/19/invasive-python-hunt-in-florida-ineffective-only-21-caught-so-far/

Or http://www.pythonchallenge.org/

For an update on HR 511, aka “the python ban” check this site h p://herpalliance.com/2013/01/03/the‐death‐of‐hr‐511/ 

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 5

DNR Proposed Changes for Endangered, Threatened and Special

Concern Species

The Department of Natural Resources is required, under Minnesota law, to maintain a list of species that are at risk of disappearing. The list was first published in 1984 and updated in 1996. A prelimi-nary draft of changes was drawn up in 2007. Public hearings will be held in January and February regard-ing the proposed changes in Rochester, New Ulm, Bemidji, Duluth and Plymouth.

For more information see the DNR website at h p://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ets/rulesrevision.html 

2012 Year-end Adoption Report Prepared by Nancy Haig 

Since the Adoption Program started in 1982, there have been many changes in the way we handle the increasing num-ber of herps needing new homes. The adoption chair is the main contact for people and agencies wishing to surrender animals. This is a brief description of how the program works today.

Intake Day: Throughout the month, Sarah handles the calls concerning our program and what we do with the animals. The Thursday before our General Meeting is Intake Day, when Sarah is available for people to drop off their animals. Usually between 10 -20 animals come in, the largest intake number of animals this year was Sept (29). A total of 220 animals were surrendered to us in 2012; 20 came from animal control agencies and schools, the rest were from private individuals. Total number of herps adopted from 1982 -1989 was 240.

Intake Night: After the animals come in, a qualified veterinarian, Dr. Barbara Ault, gives them a basic examination. This has become an informal learning experience for other vets, vet students, vet techs and other animal handlers that show up and wish to learn more about dealing with herps. If an animal is deemed basically healthy and normal it goes up for adoption at the Friday General Meeting. If there are medical issues, the animal is listed as Special Care and is usually held back a month for TLC and treatments. Of the 13 Special Care animals, 4 died directly because of severe injuries or disease and 4 because they were too weak from previous bad husbandry.

Meeting night: Show Time! This is the time the animals are presented to the MHS membership for Adoption. All they need is a good home and someone to take care of them. We don’t always have the background information on them, some had good care, and some did not. We are simply trying to find them a new home. If the animal is not adopted it goes into the Foster program. 116 animals were adopted at their first meeting, another 39 after fostering for a total of 155 animals adopted.

Fostering: This is where we ask for volunteers to house the animal for a month until the next meeting. 70 animals were fostered in 2012. We try to foster the animal until it is adopted but sometimes no one wants it even after several at-tempts. These animals are then available for outsourcing to other agencies or individuals not MHS members. Some-times certain species are difficult to place or are considered a risk to our natural environment and require special measures in control. We out-sourced 47 animals this year. 3 Iguanas to RICA, 28 Red-Eared Sliders to a contained fa-cility, 9 animals to private sources and 7 animals to be used in vet labs.

After the December 2012 meeting there were 10 animals still in foster.

For more information concerning the MHS Adoption Program policies and rules please check out the MHS website. A more detailed report covering the numbers and species adopted will be posted later in the members’ forum.

Treasurer’s Report for December 2012

Prepared by Nancy Haig

Adoption Report for January 3 Prepared by Nancy Haig

Due to a well-deserved vacation by our Adoption Chair, Sarah Richard, intake of new animals was postponed until February. Instead we concentrated on finding homes for animals already in the MHS Foster Program. Of the 10 Herps in Foster only 4 were returned for the meeting. There was 1 new animal that showed up as well.

Animals finding homes at the January Meeting were:

2 large Common Boas, a large Alligator Snapping Turtle, a baby Iguana, and an adult Bearded Dragon.

Sarah assured us there will be plenty of new animals for the Feb-ruary meeting.

Help Wanted! We are still looking for people to fill the position of webmaster. If you have experience with website maintenance and HTML, please consider stepping up for the society! Drupal experience is a plus. Contact Chris Smith with questions.

Upcoming White Snake Sale The annual White Snake Sale will be held April 5th, 2013. If you wish to volunteer to help with the sale or have items to donate, please contact Heather Clayton MemSecretary@MnHerpSoc.com. The annual photo and art contest will be held April 5th as well. More information will be posted soon!

Committee Reports Due

Committee Chairs should submit their year-end reports to the MHS President by February 1st.

Thanks

Chris Smith President@MnHerpSoc.com

MHS Reports and Announcements

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 6

Volunteer Opportunities If you would like to help with the bullsnake study in 2013, con-tact:

Jeff LeClere, Project Coordinator, Minnesota Biological Survey Minnesota Department of Natural Resources E-mail: JeffLeClere@state.mn.us; Ph: 651-259-5161

You may also contact Dave at NaturalistDave@hotmail.com

Board Meeting The February board meeting will be held February 2 at 6pm at the St Paul Student Union. This is just down the hill from Bor-laug Hall. Check the posted schedule at the Union for the meet-ing room number.

Beginning Balance $23,162.87      

Income:    

Membership $ 20.00 Raffle   $ 39.00 Adoption   $ 255.00 Hands Ons $ 109.00 Rodent Sales $ 260.00 Holiday banquet $ 292.00 Total Income $ 975.00      

Expense    

Newsletter postage $ 93.60 Program   $ 384.82 vet costs   $ 60.00 Rodent cost $ 196.50 Renfest   $ 95.56 mpls permit $ 272.00 Holiday banquet $ 271.67 Total Expense $ 1,374.15      

Cash Increase/Decrease $ (399.15)      

Ending Balance $22,763.72      

Placement of cash holdings   Checking $22,763.72 transfer to checking $ 500.00 TCF/paypal $ 584.15 Paypal $ 424.88 Cash on hand $ 175.00      

Total   $24,447.75

Newsletter Submissions

If you have an article, book review or other item for the newsletter, the deadline is the Wednesday of the week following the meeting. Items are printed as space allows.

Have you seen a herp-related article you’d like to share, an amusing herp-related incident or story, or know of something happening in the herp world? Send that in and share it with others.

All submissions should be sent to NewsletterEdi-tor@MnHerpSoc.com. Thanks!

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 Page 7

MHS Reports and Announcements

Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule

March 16 and 17th, 11-3pm both days The Eagle Center Wabasha, MN March 23rd 9-6pm and 24th 10-5pm Pet Expo Minneapolis Convention Center April 25th at 5:30-7pm Battle Creek Science Night 605 Ruth St in St Paul May 17th at 5-7pm Glacier Hills Science Fair Eagan, MN

Looking to meet other MHS members? Help assist the soci-ety 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 hear-ing 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.

Board Minutes for November 2, 2012 The meeting was called to order at 6:14pm.

Board Present: Chris Smith, Ellen Heck, Beth Girard, Heather Clayton, Peter Tornquist, Jacob Mee Board Missing: Dāv Kaufman, Chris Rueber, Jeff LeClere Non-Board Present: Terry Odegaard

Ellen read the minutes; several corrections were made. Motion to accept the minutes as corrected: Heather; 2nd: Peter. Motion passed.

Old Business

Minneapolis Permit – The official permit has been received. Copies will be made to be kept in the hands-on boxes.

Paypal – The issue with the double billing has been resolved and appears to have been caused by the way the subscrip-tion was set up. Some people asked for a refund, some paid for multiple years.

New Business

Elections – The results were verified. Reviewing the ballots, it is apparent that some people do not really vote for spe-cific people but seem to just mark the first three or four candidates. Future ballots may need to be randomized to com-pensate fairly for this.

Budget – The budget for 2013 was reviewed and adjusted. Motion to accept the budget as proposed: Beth; 2nd: Heather. Motion Passed.

Broadcasting Meetings – Several suggestions for either broadcasting meetings or holding one at an alternative location were brought up. Discussion was tabled pending further research.

Printing Newsletters – In the future, it may not be fiscally feasible to print newsletters at all. This will be further dis-cussed at future meetings.

Motion to adjourn: Ellen; 2nd: Heather. The meeting adjourned at 10:30pm.

February 2013 Volume 33 Number 2 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.

h p://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*

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 - February 1st- 7:00 pm Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus