Bill Sutton Joins ALAPARC as Secretary

The Alabama Chapter of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is pleased to announce that Bill Sutton has signed on to serve as our Secretary. Bill is a Ph.D. student at Alabama A&M and is researching how amphibians and reptiles respond to pine-hardwood forest management. Bill brings extensive experience to his new post, as he also serves as Secretary for Southeast PARC. We are looking forward to working with Bill as he helps keep track of all our ongoing efforts, meetings, and initiatives.
Welcome Bill.

ALAPARC Call for Abstracts for Inaugural Meeting

We are planning our inaugural meeting on November 6-8, 2009 at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center near Andalusia, Alabama. We will feature a lineup of distinguished speakers to discuss how individuals may facilitate effective conservation in different capacities. To date, confirmed speakers for this event include Whit Gibbons, John Jensen, Craig Guyer, and Matt Aresco. Additional speakers, including Jim Godwin, Jim McHugh, Chris Jenkins and Mark Bailey, will introduce current conservation efforts in Alabama.

Our inaugural meeting will feature presentations (oral and poster) describing research, education, and conservation efforts in the state. We welcome abstracts for consideration; send them to AlabamaPARC@gmail.com. Presentations will be confirmed for the meeting as space allows.

We want to know what you've been up to in Alabama! Submit your abstracts soon.

Press Release...Released!

Today is a big day, we disseminated the press release announcing the formation of our chapter as well as inaugural meeting and registration information. We are excited to see how the coming weeks develop.

We will busy in the weeks and months leading up to our meeting. Hopefully more individuals will contact us about getting involved in Alabama Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

About Our Logo

ALAPARC's new logo was created by Nathan Burkett-Cadena. Nathan is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Auburn University studying mosquito ecology and a freelance artist in his spare time. Nathan graciously and enthusiastically agreed to design a logo for our organization and we are proud to display the outcome.

The silhouette is that of an Alabama map turtle, Graptemys pulchra. A rare species known primarily from Alabama rivers, this animal is an especially relevant representation for our organization and our goals.

Thanks to Nathan for his exceptional artwork and the time spent to give ALAPARC a professional and aesthetically pleasing logo.

Member Profile: Mark Bailey

Mark Bailey has been integral to ALAPARC since its inception and has been involved in all aspects of our progress from meeting coordination to website creation and launch. We have been unable to come up with a title that accurately encompasses his contributions so for now he is "only" a member of our steering committee.

Senior Biologist at Conservation Southeast, for nearly ten years Mark was Terrestrial Zoologist for The Nature Conservancy’s Alabama Natural Heritage Program and was lead author on the recently published PARC Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Southeast. Mark was subcontracted to assist in development of Alabama’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, chaired the Herpetology subcommittee of Alabama’s Second Nongame Wildlife Conference, and co-authored two of the resulting publications. Mark has written multiple Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and frequently works with the Alabama Forest Resources Center on large conservation easement projects. Mark is the immediate past president of the Alabama Chapter of The Wildlife Society and serves on the board of directors of the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

Clearly ALAPARC is fortunate to have an Alabama wildlife veteran like Mark Bailey working to further our amphibian and reptile conservation goals.

State and Federal Agency Liaison Position Filled

ALAPARC is proud to announce that Jim Godwin has recently accepted a position with our organization as State and Federal Agency Liaison. Jim is a zoologist with the Alabama Natural Heritage Program and has vast experience conducting amphibian and reptile research in the state. With unmatched wit and charisma, Jim has fostered relationships with numerous state and federal agencies relevant to wildlife conservation in Alabama. These relationships will be put to use by ALAPARC in furthering our goals.

Welcome Jim.

ALAPARC Website: Webmaster Needed

As of this morning, the brand new ALAPARC website is up (http://alaparc.org). It's pretty much bare bones without graphics and not much to look at just yet, but it's a start. We hope to have PayPal set up soon so that meeting registration can be handled through the site.

Is anybody out there proficient in web design and willing to take the reins with this site? Now's your opportunity to step up. Contact me at mbailey@alaparc.org.