The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-15

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Fundad
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The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-15

Post by Fundad »

More Exciting News

The California Chapter is hosting the NAFHA National Event Friday April 10th thru Sunday April 12th.

The California Board is excited to announce it has chosen The Scared Oaks Campground http://theoaksatsacredrocks.com/ in Eastern San Diego County as the location of the event.

The campground has a couple large tent areas with shade, with as many as 40 tents or so in each area,
there are also bunk cabins available for rent, as well as trailer for those that would rather not stay in a tent.
We can also roam outside the campground on their property to look for herps.

We will be working on the details of number of activities, the California Board Members have some
great ideas for the event so stay tuned, and we have invited awesome guests as well to talk with us
from a number of agencies.

Eastern SD County is under represented with data, hopefully this event will help change that a little. There is a large number of habitat types in the area giving us a large number of options to deal with most conditions we might encounter.

It will be a really great event.

We have put together some rules and regulations for the event that will be strictly enforced to make sure everyone has a great time, and NAFHA maintains its goals and reputation.


The rules are:
1. Everyone attending must check-in, sign a Liability Waiver, and agree to comply with all NAFHA, Federal, State, and Local laws and regulations. Minors must have a Liability Waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. Any minor attending that is not accompanied by a parent must be pre-approved by Brian Hinds or Matthew Gruen.

2. Everyone age 16 and older will be required to show a fishing license that covers the time frame of the event. Licenses can be purchased online here: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols/

3. There will be NO COLLECTING of live herps at any time during the event. No living herps are to be placed in bags or containers at any time, for any reason!

4. No herps are to be held overnight or possessed at any time. This includes any finds that occur before, during, or immediately after the event. We understand that this has been allowed previously, but it will NOT be allowed for our Meeting in California.

5. Obvious board arrays (board lines), pit traps, or other study sites discovered in the County are not to be disturbed at any time. Junk piles and the like are perfectly OK to search unless otherwise defined at the time of the event.

6. All rocks, logs, and boards that are turned to look under, must be replaced exactly to their original position.

7. No illegal drugs of any kind are to be brought to the event.

8. Other Rules may be added at a later time, or upon check-in.

Any participant that violates any of the above Rules will be asked to leave immediately, and may be put up for suspension from NAFHA, and possibly reported to CDFW officers. We have informed the CDFW of our Meeting dates and location.

Exceptions from the above Rules:
1. Non-native herps such as bullfrogs, Moorish wall geckos, red-eared sliders, etc., found during the event can be collected or possessed live or dead, when otherwise legal to do so.
2. DOR's of non-protected species may be collected/possessed if found outside of protected habitat.
3. Board lines and other study sites set-up by a NAFHA Member may be searched if approval is given beforehand.

Any questions during the event should be directed to one of the six California Chapter Board Members, or to another CA Chapter member that has been selected by the Board to help with the event.

The CA Chapter Board Members recognize that these Rules have not been in place at previous National Meetings, and that they may discourage some people from attending. However, our Chapter has spent 8 years building deep relationships with various agencies and groups, and we are not going to risk those relationships for any reason. We hope everyone attending shares our same goal of building strong relationships in support of the conservation our herps need and deserve.
Unfortunately, a tiny handful of people at previous NAFHA National events have caused some serious problems for NAFHA. For the 2015 Meeting, we will do our best to ensure a good time will be had by all, while herping legally and ethically in the eyes of anyone watching.

We will be inviting a guest speaker from the USGS, and biologists from the CDFW, AZDFG, and NDOW. The Board is working on additional cool activities open to all participants, such as a possible NAFHA BioBlitz one of the days, Learn how to use GPS tools, Campfire story telling, and much more. We have some exciting ideas in the works, so it should be a highly worthwhile event!

Thank You,

The California Chapter Board
Brian Hinds -President
Lawrence Erickson- Conservation Officer
John Lauermann- International Board member
Owen Holt-Vice President
Matthew Gruen- Secretary
Jeff Nordland- Education Specialist

Currently Jeff Nordland is in charge of logistics, if anyone needs any guidance on the area.

PS.Please stay tuned for more info included recommended safety equipment, logistics, and much more.
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mattg
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by mattg »

apparently everyones cool with these rules!! :thumb:
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Well, shoot....TX Rattlesnake Festival (the no-kill event) is the same weekend.
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Fundad
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Fundad »

Bummer, but that too is worthwhile event.. :thumb:

We are planning some cool activities and there will be a ton of great herping during that time of year.

Fundad
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Biker Dave »

I like the "rules" you have. Good idea!
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by mattg »

bumpppp
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by herpingsandiego »

Do minors get the liability waiver signed at the event or is there a link online?
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Fundad »

Do minors get the liability waiver signed at the event or is there a link online?

If the minor has their parent with them at the time of the event, the parent can sign at that time. If the parent isn't going to be at the event we need to make arrangements, Please PM me if thats the case.

Brian Hinds
California Chapter President
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Fundad
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Fundad »

If anyone needs any more information please let me know.


I hope to see you at the event.

Fundad
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Noah M »

This sounds like an awesome event, but California is a bit too far, both geographically and financially. I hope all attendees have a great, safe, time. :D
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Fundad »

Here is the updated Schedule, with a huge thanks to the CA Board Members and Jeff Nordland for putting this together for us. Please note, some times and details may change due to weather or guest schedules.

Schedule of Events for the 2015 NAFHA National Meeting – Updated March 26th
April 10-12 San Diego County, California

Thurs. April 9th
12 noon – 4 PM Pre-Meeting hike at near coast with Jeff N. and his boys Trevor (age 9) and Brady (age 7). The herping isn’t great, but TPSR has lots of shorebirds and some marine mammals. This is for anyone who’s in town early and wants to spend some time in a unique habitat type with great scenery.

Board Members arrive in San Diego

Friday April 10th
11 AM - 4 PM Participants to check-in to The Oaks at Sacred Rocks campground;
*after checking-in at the entrance with the The Oaks staff, please go straight to site 81 to check-in with NAFHA and get your Welcome Package
4 - 6 PM Meet & Greet Barbecue hosted by CA Chapter at The Oaks
Hosts to list their guided Herp Trips on whiteboard; interested participants should sign-up
6 PM Welcome, Board Member and Member Introductions, and Review of Rules, Safety, and Herping Ethics by Brian Hinds
6:30 – 8:30 PM Guest Speakers 1 & 2
9 - 10 PM NAFHA Acoustic Jam Session 1 & Campfire
10 - 11 PM campfire and Fireside Chats


Saturday April 11th
8-11 AM “GPS for Field Herpers” presented by Lawrence Erickson. Begins with a review of how to use handheld GPS units; then followed by practice in the field.
8 AM Meet at The Oaks for morning guided Herp Trips:
Example: Jeff N. will lead a group to a local area at 10 am and return around 1:30
8:30 AM Kid’s Lizard Noosing Contest hosted by John Lauermann. ?Meet at the Bunkhouse next to the tent camping area? Kids will be given a small noose and try to catch the largest lizard.
2 PM Meet at The Oaks for afternoon guided Herp Trips:
Example: Jeff N. will lead a group to l eave camp at 2:30 PM, return around 6:30 PM.
9-10 PM - NAFHA Acoustic Jam Session 2
9-11 PM – campfire and Fireside Chats
Participants are encouraged to add their finds to the Species Count board

Sunday April 12th
7AM – meet at The Oaks for guided herp trips:
Example: Jeff N. may lead a group into the southern part of ABDSP for in-situ photography of desert lizards. This will be a kid-friendly adventure. Off-road vehicle required. Leave camp at 8:15 AM, return around 2:30 PM.
Also: Brian Hinds may organize a BioBlitz-type large group herping trip. Current plan is to go to the windblown sand area to search for lizards.
All participants should add their finds to the Species Count board
4-5 PM – Meeting Culmination
- Highlights reviewed
- Slideshow?
- ‘Thank You and Farewell Speech’ by Brian Hinds

Monday April 13th
?Post-Meeting herping trips?
(Jeff N. will possibly lead a group to)

Tuesday April 14th
?Post-Meeting herping trips?
(Jeff N. will possibly lead a group to check boardlines near his home in SD.
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Fundad »

After you check into the campground at the main office, please go to Site#81 to check into the NAFHA event.

For those of you that are camping expect the night time lows to be in the high 30's. Therefore bring warm sleeping bags and heavy jackets, a cold and wind cold front is expected. Hypothermia can set in if not prepared for the long cold night. Anyone experiencing extreme cold can visit my tent site at anytime in the middle of the night, and we
will see to it that we get you warm.

Brian Hinds
California Chapter President
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Biker Dave
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Re: The Cali-National NAFHA Event Fri 4-10-15 thru Sun 4-12-

Post by Biker Dave »

Any update on how this went? Photos, etc.?
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NAFHA Event Recap?

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Have I previously approached anyone about writing a recap with photos for inclusion in the next issue of the SWCHR Bulletin? If not, we'd love to include an article in the June issue.
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