UAB Researcher's Turtle Work Featured in The Birmingham News

As co-chair of ALAPARC, it's been gratifying to see plans develop for our November meeting and I'm looking forward to hearing about all the amphibian and reptile conservation and research that's going on in our state.

Today I came across an article (also here) describing Dr. Thane Wibbels' (along with Andy Coleman and Dr. Ken Marion) efforts to conserve the diamondback terrapin at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

I'm excited to note that this team will be at our meeting to discuss their research. Register now to ensure a space.

Dave Steen
ALAPARC Co-Chair

Meeting Presentations

Friday, September 18th was the abstract submission deadline for our November inaugural meeting and we've been overwhelmed by the positive response. Over the coming days and weeks we'll be working on our preliminary agenda and hope to have it complete by the registration deadline of October 15th (Register Here). Want to present something but missed the deadline? Send us an e-mail at AlabamaPARC@gmail.com; we can't guarantee that we'll be able to fit you in this year but it's worth a shot.

Also, we can accommodate more posters. If you'd like to present a poster this November, send us an abstract and we'll see what we can do.

One Day Left

Hi all,

If you haven't already submitted your abstract, you've got one day remaining to send it in to AlabamaPARC@gmail.com. Remember, we encourage abstracts from all Alabamians involved in amphibian and reptile research, conservation, education, etc. We are also accepting abstracts for posters. We cannot guarantee you a space if we don't hear from you soon.

Abstract Submission Deadline-One Week Left

Our November meeting is steadily approaching and there's only one week left for abstract submissions. We've been pleased by the number of abstracts we've received so far but we want more! Let us know what you've been up to in Alabama amphibian and reptile research and conservation. We welcome abstracts from state agencies, graduate students, professionals, amateurs, academics, you name it. Submit your abstracts by 9/18 so we can create our preliminary agenda soon.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Website Relaunched

We invite everyone to check out our website now that it has been relaunched with additional information and features. Thanks to David and Laura Laurencio for their work.

Calling All 'Bama Environmental Educators

As part of a collaborative partnership with Legacy Partners in Environmental Education and the University of Alabama, ALAPARC is actively looking for partners for the Alabama Amphibian Network, a statewide citizen science/outreach project. In a nutshell, we're looking for environmental education centers willing to participate in the network by having coverboard arrays and treefrog shelters installed at each center. These are tools used by practicing herpetologists to sample amphibians and will be free for use in amphibian education programs (for a detailed description of the equipment and a similar project, go here). In addition to the coverboards and shelters, we'll provide each center with valuable curriculum materials discussing basic amphibian biology, ecology, and evolution. All we ask in turn is that each EE partner keep a record of animals found during educational programs and report them to the network quarterly. All of these materials and their installation, of course, will be provided completely free of charge.

This project is aimed at two goals: 1.) increasing amphibian outreach and education for all demographic groups across the state, and 2.) gaining a better understanding of amphibian distributions and population trends in Alabama. As an EE center, you get a valuable education tool, and we, as researchers, get valuable data on Alabama's amphibians. Our partners to date include: Camp McDowell Environmental Center, Little River Canyon/JSU Field Schools, and Turtle Point Science Center. We'd love to get as many centers as we can signed on!

If you're interested or have any questions whatsoever, feel free to email Wally Smith at whsmith1@crimson.ua.edu

Website Manager and Newsletter Editor Positions Filled

Everyone should welcome David and Laura Laurencio of Auburn University to the Alabama Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation team. Both have extensive experience finding and researching herps from the southeastern U.S. through Central America. David and Laura have taken the reins of our website and our newsletter. We look forward to upcoming updates to our website which promise a wealth of new material and information. The newsletter will also be a useful means of disseminating information to our membership, which is growing daily.


Thanks are due to Mark and Karan Bailey for getting the ball rolling on the website and configuring it to accept our meeting registration.