Herp Atlas!

Greetings fellow reptile and amphibian enthusiasts!!!

If you haven't discovered the online Pennsylvania Herpetological Atlas yet, here it is!!!
http://webspace.ship.edu/tjmare/herp.htm
You can learn all about reptile and amphibian species in PA that are currently deemed "species of concern". The atlas is looking for amateur herpetologists like you to send them photos and gps coordinates where they find these 14 amphibian species and 22 reptile species. These aren't obscure animals you will never see, they're previously common animals like the box turtle and four-toed salamander. Once you submit a finding to the atlas, you can watch for a dot on the PA map showing your finding. If enough people participate, the online herpetological atlas will be able to give us an up-to-date idea of how our PA herps are doing. YAY! Enjoy browsing the great herp links, photo gallery, and distribution maps on the PA herp atlas!

Happy Herping Pennsylvanians!

Falcon Cam

Check out the falcon cam, www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon! Watch the peregrine falcons sitting on their five eggs! They sit 14 stories high on the Rachel Carson Building in the middle of Harrisburg. Peregrine falcons are currently endangered in PA. The Department of Environmental Protection among other agencies have been working to bring their numbers back. There are currently around 20 active nest sites in PA we know of! Most of them located on bridges or buildings.

Peregrine Falcons primarily eat birds, making easy meals of pigeons and starlings in cities. They are excellent hunters speeding up to 200mph to catch their prey.

Keep an eye on the falcon cam for the hatching chicks (eyasses)!

Salamanders!

It's spring!! Among other delightful changes (skunk cabbage growing, phoebes singing, tundra swans migrating, wood frogs laying eggs) that also means it's time for woodland salamanders to migrate to vernal pools to breed! I hope you had your eyes peeled these past rainy weeks above 40F across PA! They've been on the move!! These aren't just any ordinary salamanders either. These babies are longer than my hand and just about as long as my boots! That's around 8 inches long!! They're the spotted and Jefferson's salamanders.

Were you aware there are 22 species of salamanders in PA? (http://www.fish.state.pa.us/salamander.htm) Many live under rocks near water, some live in fast flowing streams, some larger salamanders live in large rivers, and some, like the Jeffersons and Spotted live in the woods deep in the ground. These fascinating creatures don't come out of their burrows often other than to mate. It's that time of year! If you're out on a hike keep your ears open for wood frogs which are also dependent on vernal pools. Wood frog calls should lead you in the right direction (listen here: http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=AR0033). Once you find a pool look for migrating spotted salamanders and softball size egg masses! Lastly, if you're driving near a woody area on a rainy evening, watch out for crossing amphibians!

Happy Spring Peepers!

Worms!

I've been reading, The Earth Moved: On the remarkable achievements of earthworms by Amy Stewart, and it's gotten me totally psyched up about worms!! Did you know there are different types of worms? Worms that live deep in the ground, worms that live near the surface, worms that live in water, worms that live in borrows, and worms that live in manure or decaying organic matter!

The ladder are the type we enjoy as our vermiculture composting pets. All you need is a few containers of red wigglers from a bait store, an old bucket with a screen lid, some moist newspaper chunks, and a little bit of dirt to get you started. Then simply bury your food scraps and watch them turn into nutrient rich planting soil! Keep it under your sink and it won't even smell! I am so excited to start vermicomposting. Worm Woman's website, http://www.wormwoman.com/acatalog/vermicomposting.html, lays out the basics pretty clearly.

Happy Composting!

Carbon Conscious!

I explored c3.newdream.org today! The Carbon Conscious Consumer campaign sounds pretty great! It challenges folks to gain "climate-friendly" daily habits in a fun and unique way: by taking a pledge to do something that cuts our impact on climate change each month. I am looking forward to seeing what the pledge is for next month! (Hey! That's one of the internet marketing techniques I just learned about: have new and interesting content updates to keep consumers coming back for more! Nice job C3.)

I signed their pledge to do laundry in cold water this month... and then... I got a little dot on the map of the U.S. representing myself and the tiny impact I'm making among the others that have pledged. It's actually a pretty neat image.

I also reviewed the past challenges- they were all pretty easy to do and a great way to introduce new habits to average people. C3 pledges learned to buy one pound of local food a week in July, go one day a week without driving in August, use online forms to eliminate junk mail in September, and use reusable water bottles in October. Wow, all awesome suggestions. What a fantastic campaign. Check out the website for yourself and get involved!

Frog Watch USA

After my boyscout program (Reptile and Amphibian Study Merit Badge) yesterday, I am super motivated to continue learning about herps. The boy scouts were a great audience! They asked tons of compelling questions and stayed after the program talking to me and interacting with the animals until their parents dragged them away. I'm eager to learn more and have more intriguing stories so I have more to share with kids when I teach. I was introduced to Frogwatch USA at Powershift 2007 (www.powershift07.org), and finally found time to explore their site. I'm hoping it gives me more interesting points to bring up about amphibian conservation and also another exciting way kids can help in their town.

I am so excited! I just signed up. I can't wait to study frog calls and contribute to a national frog and toad survey! Check it out for yourself! www.frogwatch.org. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

To myself: smiles to remember this week: "why don't snakes suffocate with such large food in their mouth?", getting love nipped by a baby anaconda, laminating snake sheds, welcoming baby gecko #20, feeling the keeled scales of USA's largest snake, the gopher snake, struggling to gracefully hold the 50lb+ red tail boa, positive feedback from parents, sushi Tuesday, Interview, Zeno's birthdays and new friends Wednesday, center for sustainability inspiring tour on Thursday. I am lucky!