© 2002-2008 |
CulebraLies I Like to Tell About Me: I am currently working as an Ecologist at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality in the area of watershed education and outreach. I have always known that I would work in the field of conservation; however I never would have believed that it would lead me to develop an affinity for serpents! If someone would have said to me 3 years ago that I would be spending my free time and weekends scouring the wilds of Arkansas searching for these slithering beasts, I would have responded ever so politely, “You are out of your frappin’ mind”! Although I had enjoyed keeping turtles as a youngster, my adoration for all things with scales and mucous glands occurred completely by happenstance 2 1/2 years ago. I was attending a conference in Clemson, South Carolina and met a guy that was going crazy at the opportunity to search for a Plethodon jordani just over the state border in the mountains of North Carolina. I still cannot recall how I got involved in the expedition, but we ended up spending hours probing the mountainside turning over every rock and log in an effort to locate one of these illusive creatures. During the course of this endeavor I had the pleasure of discovering my first salamander, though not the P. jordani unfortunately. I can’t really say that I knew what a salamander was before that outing (some sort of wet lizard?), but afterward I was hooked! They were some of the coolest creatures I had ever seen! I came back home fired-up to seek out the little treasures that Arkansas held. My first explorations, however, were very limited. I was quick to discover that while searching for salamanders I would also encounter snakes! Eek! I was still pretty terrified; I couldn’t distinguish a venomous snake from a nonvenomous snake. And, after all, I had been informed that snakes will chase you! Certain species can even bite their tails and form themselves into hoops to roll after you! Hey, mothers don’t lie. Again by chance, I was sitting next to a co-worker when she received a message about some Herpetological Meeting being held at Mount Magazine. I didn’t know what herpetological meant (doesn't that usually require a stint of antibiotics?), but when she mentioned talks being held regarding reptiles and amphibians I asked her to forward me the e-mail. Since that time I have been extremely grateful for the opportunity to interact with a group that is so knowledgeable of Arkansas’ native reptiles and amphibians, and so willing to share that knowledge. I can only hope that during the years to come, as my knowledgebase grows and I become more fluent in all things ‘herp’, that I will demonstrate the patience and enthusiasm this group has shown to me as a ‘newbie’. Now go on! Get out of here! Go find a more productive way to spend the next 30 minutes of your life! Go find a snake or something!
|
