Northeast Member Biographies

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

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brick911
Posts: 3488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:52 am
Location: Morrisville, PA

Northeast Member Biographies

Post by brick911 »

To all new members and re-registering members. Please use this thread to introduce yourself. Feel free to discuss a little (or a lot) about yourself.
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Brian Hubbs
Posts: 4735
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:41 am
Location: "Buy My Books"-land

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Brian Hubbs »

Am I a member or not? That was my last question before the crash...(and i had written a great bio, too...)
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Mike VanValen
Posts: 2074
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Location: Connecticut
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Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Mike VanValen »

Hey folks, My name is Mike VanValen and I have been field herping for a long, long time.

One of my earliest memories is of chasing lizards in Florida. I was encouraged by my parents at an early age to pursue my interest in herpetology.

I have herped the everglades, the pine barrens of NJ, the sand hills of NC, the coastal plain of SC, the green mountains of VT and the Delmarva peninsula but the majority of my field work takes place in CT and eastern NY state.

Everything I know I've learned from reading and spending many hours in the field.

I have done field work with the state of Connecticut, the Audubon Society, Yale Peabody's Herpetology Department and Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo.

I am currently (as of late 2013) writing a book. It will focus on some of my favorite field herping moments and species over my 20 plus years of field experience. I tend to procrastinate but I am off to a good start. Stay tuned ;)
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chellman
Posts: 1
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 8:48 am

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by chellman »

Hello, fellow herpers! My name is Isaac Chellman. I'm currently living in California (and have, therefore, also joined the CA forum), but I grew up and went to school in the northeast. I've worked with herps career-wise since 2001, but my interest began at about age... well, let's just say I could walk. Most of my herp experience for work has been with the federal government, including the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (based at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD), the brown treesnake project in Guam, and Gary Fellers' long-term population study of amphibians in the backcountry of Yosemite NP. For the past 5 years, I have worked on Rana muscosa and R. sierrae conservation with the National Park Service at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. In 2017, I'll be starting a new job (again, continuing work with native aquatic species, but focusing on R. sierrae conservation) with the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife. As is the case with many of you, I love photography and documenting the herps I find.
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Glad you are here on the forum Isaac, did one of my three routes last night.
joconnor
Posts: 118
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:20 pm
Location: NJ

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by joconnor »

Hi There herper formerly known as NJPINESNAKE , now joconnor.Name changed in data base to joconnor as well.Long story , will probably up-date .Originally from Bergen County ( No Jersey), NJ , now in Wall , NJ Moved down 8 yrs ago . Love to herp , i am terrible @ pics. 50 yrs old .Been herping since i could walk .
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Herpin_Time
Posts: 102
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 3:34 pm
Location: PA
Contact:

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Herpin_Time »

Hello My name is JD Hartzel Ive been a field herper for longtime doing studies on NA wood turtles spotted turtles and timber rattlers. Love herps and herpin . this research was done for PA fish and boat commision. Im working on a Herpin video series to get kids into herpin.. Great to find this site
JD
Charles
Posts: 5
Joined: June 9th, 2010, 12:36 pm

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Charles »

Username Charles=

Charles Avenengo
Box 221
Newport, Rhode Island
02840

401-849-9325 (home)
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MarcLinsalata
Posts: 562
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:50 pm
Location: Los Angeles / New Jersey

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by MarcLinsalata »

Hi, I'm Marc - formerly Pinhead22. My uncle (Andrew Dimedio) got me into herping when I was little mostly with turtles and some snakes. I don't think we labeled it as 'herping' back then. Growing up, I always had baby turtles and pet garter snakes and stuff like that and would drag my friends out with me to look for stuff. Now, I still like to herp and take photos of everything. I'm not really into the science of it all, or the latin names, I just like to find stuff and photo and pat myself on the back. I am moving to Chicago at the end of Summer '10 but will always consider the Northeast chapter as my home.... :beer:
zarkus
Posts: 29
Joined: June 17th, 2010, 1:05 pm

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by zarkus »

Hi again. I'm zarkus aka Mark Z. I grew up in the Lehigh Valley in PA, and currently live in Bel Air, MD. I'll share a little about myself, although some things are about to change shortly. What I'm sure about is I'm 55, I have a 13 year old son, and I love to herp and go fly fishing. Things that are expected to change soon are that I am currently unemployed and married. Did I mention I love to herp?
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b-Sol
Posts: 33
Joined: June 18th, 2010, 1:25 pm
Location: York County, Pa

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by b-Sol »

Hello
My name is Brandon. I grew up in Louisiana and moved to Pa in '96. I currentlty live in Northern York County. I've been chasing cold blooded animals forever. I love all herps but hold a very special place in my heart for snakes. I've housed a number of species. I go herping about 1-2 times a week on state game lands in Pa. I'm headed out right now.

I'm glad I stumbled upon this forum.
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Hey Brandon thanks for joining us. Take a look at our database page at www.naherp.com and sign up for an account there. Then you can start helping out our Herp Education Research Project by submitting records.
ElliotH
Posts: 117
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:07 am
Location: Syracuse, NY.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by ElliotH »

Hey, It's Elliot. I decided to switch it up a bit and use my real name for once. I live in central NY and have spent most my life (only 20 years) outside looking for the cold blooded. Only really been documenting anything for the past year maybe two.
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mattallen
Posts: 24
Joined: July 2nd, 2010, 4:34 am
Location: Shippensburg, PA

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by mattallen »

Matt Allen - mattallen on naherp

I'm a reptile and amphibian enthusiast from Shippensburg, PA. I have been herping all my life and am quite sure my love of herps came from my love of dinosaurs! I have a a Bachelor's Degree in Geology/Environmental Science and Biology. I'm currently working as an Oracle Database Administrator and Web Developer. I have a strong interest in exotic reptiles and amphibians as well. I have a large collection of exotic herps ranging from Poison Dart Frogs, to Monitors, Iguanas, Basilisks, Reticulated Pythons, Burmese Pythons, Tortoises, and Turtles. Many of my animals were rescues. I give presentations at Schools, Camps, and parties and discuss the importance of conservation. I keep no local animals as I strive to keep my collection captive bred and exotic.

If you are in the area and would like to meet up somewhere for an outing give me a ring! We can check out my "places" or yours! :)
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Thanks Matt! Check out www.naherp.com , we could probably use some records from your area.
Kyle Baker
Posts: 1
Joined: July 6th, 2010, 11:05 am

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Kyle Baker »

Hey guys I'm new to the forum. I am glad I came across it after doing some google searches. My name is Kyle by the way, and I'm 16. I have always enjoyed field herping but didn't know the technical term till I heard it used a few months ago. I remember one of the first things I saved up for as a kid was a frog net and I have enjoyed it ever since. I currently volunteer at a educational facility and work with many neat exotic and native reptiles ranging from Gila Monsters to Wood Turtles. I live in southeastern Michigan, and I hope to learn a lot from you guys!
Zombie_Kid
Posts: 146
Joined: July 7th, 2010, 12:08 pm

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Zombie_Kid »

Hello fellow herpers, my name is Jeff Dragon (real name) and I reside in Southern New Jersey. I am an environmental studies major at Rowan University in my senior year, and hope to pursue a masters in conservation biology. My passion for herps started further back than my memory goes. I have always been most interested and fascinated in turtles, however I love all reptiles/ amphibians. My favorite species are wood, spotted, bog, box, musk, mud and snappers. I use to keep turtles when I was younger, however my complete focus is conservation at this point. I did a semester program at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal Virginia and lived along clouded leopards, manned wolves, and red pandas. I have a passion for seeing reptiles in their natural environment. I currently have no friends that herp, so if anyone ever wants to meet up feel free to shoot me a PM. I live only a few minutes from the barrens.
pops
Posts: 94
Joined: July 15th, 2010, 10:39 am

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by pops »

Hi, my name is Dave Leone (Pops). I live in Suffolk County, Long Island NY. I teach Middle school science for about 8 years now. I am interested in the biology, ecology and behavior of all herps on the east coast from Florida to Maine. I am also interested in fossils. I try to educate my students in my own small way on the importance of learning about wildlife. I have observerd tremendous habitat loss here on LI and elsewhere. Thank you and feel free to contact me with any questions about NY herps.
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B.Ryerson
Posts: 45
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:15 am
Location: UConn

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by B.Ryerson »

I'm Bill. Herping since a kid. Currently a PhD student at UConn, my dissertation focuses on biomechanics in snakes. I have broad interests in vertebrate physiology, morphology, and biomechanics. I also keep captive bred reptiles, currently around 10 snakes, seven turtles and a few lizards.
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Thanks Bill!
VirginiaC
Posts: 1
Joined: July 22nd, 2010, 8:40 pm

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by VirginiaC »

Hi, my name is Virginia Clark and I live in Concord NH. I am a casual herper at best but hope to learn from the more dedicated (obsessed?) herpers on this forum. I have always loved wildlife of all kinds but snakes especially! I drove my snake phobic mother nuts with all the gartersnakes I brought home. She did allow me turtles, a rat and various other small pets, but I had to wait many years before I got my first snake. I am currently raising my oldest grandson (he just turned 8) and we spend a lot of time fishing and just poking around outdoors...he loves helping me search for creatures of all types and is becoming a pretty dedicated herper himself. I have a ready companion for any field trips I want to set out on! Unfortunately, the only camera I have at the moment is the one on my phone but I'm saving for something better... I don't know anything about how or what to document so please feel free to give me advice!! :)
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Welcome Virginia! some holes to fill in our New Hampshire section of the database. Please visit http://www.naherp.com and sign up for an account there as well. http://www.nafha.org should be reviewed as well...
Gyri is our northern New England specialist so I am sure he will chime in and point you in the right direction.
thanks
Kyle
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bwaterherper
Posts: 188
Joined: July 24th, 2010, 11:43 pm
Location: Somerset, NJ

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by bwaterherper »

Hello everyone, my name is Scott, I live in Somerset County, NJ. Been looking for other people that were interested in what I do(I always called it snake hunting) but found this awesome herping forum. Hoping to find new spots, all I'm used to is tramping up and down local thorn infested streams. Also hoping to make some new friends :beer: I also own a honduran milk snake and have owned snakes my whole life(not that that pertains to field herping, I just really like snakes)
Dailey
Posts: 21
Joined: July 31st, 2010, 10:09 pm
Location: NE PA

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Dailey »

Hi F.H.s! I’m Erin (30) currently in NEPA. Grew up in RI and have also spent time in CT and ME. Have always loved animals herps included. Prior to joining PAHERP last year I was content with just enjoying watching any herp I encountered. I still enjoy watching them but I now am making an effort to ID and collect the database information and photo vouchers as I can see the potential benefit that this information can provide. I would consider myself a recreational herper (vs hardcore) as I mostly go places and stumble upon things vs researching and proving species are there. I have a pretty good mental picture of frogs, toads and turtles but I am still challenged at snake finding other than those that flee from my feet while hiking :D or are DOR. I guess I have yet to develop an accurate mental picture of their habitat and shape but I am improving. As a result of a traumatic loss of a small pet pond turtle on the 4th of July when I was around 5 (poor turtle fried when the sun moved directly onto the outside aquarium while we were at the parade) I keep no herps as pets.
Notread
Posts: 261
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 7:29 am

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Notread »

Erin, welcome to the chapter! I see by your database entries that you are in my area. If you need help with that snake search image let me know. Nice work on the Jefferson sal. I would like to venture a guess where you saw it, but do not want to say/ask on the open forum. ;)
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us. There is currently in progress, I think, a way to export entries from naherp to paherp and vice versa. Check out the db here at www.naherp.com.
NoTread is our resident expert along with millside in that neck of the woods. We will put something together and hook up soon!
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Gyri
Posts: 919
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:18 pm
Location: Northern New England

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Gyri »

It's been months since the forum reset and I still have not reposted my Bio. Here's the short:

I'm from Vermont, I got a degree at UVM in wildlife biology, I've been working full time as a herpetologist for the past few years, and I'm soon returning to school for a Masters working on a herp project. These days herping is my primary source of exercise :)
Bold Cub
Posts: 105
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 7:58 am
Location: Berks County, PA

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Bold Cub »

My name is Zach. I live in Berks County, PA. I have been fascinated by herps (mainly snakes) since I was a little kid (which means over 30 years). Only in the past few years have I really gotten out to do any "real" herping. Mostly, I find Gartersnakes, but this year I have found several Eastern Milksnakes, young and adult. Lots of Northern Ringnecks as well. I have only started to document my finds this year. I suppose I could be considered old school, as I have no hook, just a trusty stick I usually take with me. When I was younger (around 12), I used to find Spotted Turtles, Wood Turtles, Copperheads, and Northern Watersnakes pretty often, and once a 6' Black Rat Snake. Also, around the same age I flipped what has got to be one of the largest Gartersnakes around. It was about 4.5' long, I kid you not. It blew my mind. My target species for this year has been Eastern Hognose (never seen one), and Smooth Green Snake (only seen fleeting glimpses as they slide into tall grass). About ten years ago, out by Eerie, PA I was walking through a field with big Timber? Rattlesnakes scattered throughout. That was cool. I am hoping to get it together to go back to school for forestry soon. I don't know what else to say about me. Herp on!
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brick911
Posts: 3488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:52 am
Location: Morrisville, PA

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by brick911 »

Zach,
If you are getting into the documenting part of it make sure to join the database and include your findings. www.naherp.com
If you have any questions, we can help. Welcome to the chapter.
Bob
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Kari Post
Posts: 74
Joined: August 30th, 2010, 2:19 pm
Location: New Hampshire
Contact:

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Kari Post »

Hiyo! Let's see I get to do this all over again. I hope I can make it good.

My name is Kari, and I'm a graduate student at Antioch University of New England in Keene, New Hampshire. I'm originally from northeastern New Jersey and just recently moved here to start my master's in environmental education. So far, I love the area and I've been meeting some awesome people up here.

I really love all things outdoorsy and active, especially hiking, backpacking, paddling, and stuff like that. Last summer, I biked across the country from Yorktown, VA to Florence, OR and this past summer I worked at a summer camp leading two 24 day adventure trips for 14-16 year old boys. I've worked full or part-time doing outdoor experiential education since completing my undergraduate degree in health and physical education in 2008, and I really enjoy working with people of all ages and teaching them about the outdoors.

I'm also a photographer specializing in nature, wildlife, and travel photography. I have a website at http://www.karipost.com which I encourage you to check out. It's pretty cool, although I haven't updated it in forever, so hopefully I'll get on that soon.

As far as herping goes, I like exploring, in general, and finding cool critters on the way always makes exploring more fun. I like finding everything, from neat plants to birds to herps to scat. I really just like nature as a whole and all wild things that go along with it.

Here's one of the few recent photos I have of myself, being weird with two of my campers this summer. Life is better when you don't take it too seriously.

Image
drollbrandon
Posts: 2
Joined: September 1st, 2010, 7:15 am

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by drollbrandon »

Hi, Im Brandon, Im 17. I enjoy the outdoors. I recently got into herping and I try to get out whenever I can.
coastalherper
Posts: 3
Joined: July 29th, 2010, 10:24 am

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by coastalherper »

Hey, I'm a wildlife biology student at Paul Smith's College in Paul Smith's, NY. It is up above Lake Placid Near Saranac Lake, if that means anything to anyone. Ive been browsing for a bit but too lazy to post, before the loss this was my same name. I am originally from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I am good friends with Peter Alexander and I basically have taken all the same pictures as him so theres no point in me posting a lot. I am currently planning on getting my BS in Wildlife Biology and going on to graduate school for herpetology, as 3 of my professors are herpetologists themselves. If anyone has any good advice about going down this path, Id like to hear it. If anyone is nearby and would be interested in doing some herping Im up for it. All Ive seen so far is a garter snake, but Im not complaing. Anyways, thats it.
-Steve
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MassHorridus
Posts: 151
Joined: September 2nd, 2010, 6:31 am
Location: Dallas TX

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by MassHorridus »

Hey everybody!

I'm Justin Booch from MA. I've always been a bit of a snake hunter since I was a kid growing up in Revere MA. Back then, my buddy and I would go catch snakes and try to feed them a grasshopper or something like that. I remember my first green snake and how I so reluctantly let him go (as I did with every snake I've ever encountered) because i wasn't sure I'd see one again. I regularly returned to that spot with friends to hopefully show them what a rare find it was. We had plenty of garters and brown, but never a green. Never saw one there again. Anyway, as I got older, I always had the propensity to turn over stones and boards, but as Revere developed, the reptiles paid the price. I recently returned to the area I had caught so many snakes as a kid (including the green) and spent 2 hrs searching and unfortunately, nothing to report. No Brown, no Garter...nada I'm almost 30 now. Bummer. Once when I was in college, I noticed what I thought was 2 cobras. They were the largest and fastest snakes I have ever seen/heard. When they noticed me, They straightened up and flattened their necks out! I was sure as I was stepping away slowly I heard a hiss. Surely an exotic hot collector had let them go. I reported this to the state dept and contacted the Umass Herp dept out on amherst. They came out to join me a few days later and sure enough, they were there basking and mating. Flattening their necks and standing tall when they noticed us. I hadn't done much research and was convinced there could be no 5-6 ft snakes in this area of the state (or in NE to my knowledge). The state guy seemed very excited and explained I just discovered a maiting pair or Black rat snakes in the south east portion on MA (I've learned the hard way not to be too specific with locations right hubbs? "jumped in"). He claimed that they were only thought to exist in the Ct river valley. I was elated. I felt like I found the lost dodo bird or bigfoot! So in my excitent, I killed the dude with question after question. Since I had such a knack for finding exripated species, where else are there snakes I can rediscover (cuz its so easy)? Here is where the herpng realy started. He said there is a possible population of TR's in a big state park nearby that havent been seen in many many years. In fact, he invited me to volunteer for a few field study's in that area and hoped I would be good luck. I spent that year chasing TR's all over the eastern part of the state. I still havent seen my lifer out here, but that hopefully explains why I prefer to herp in these locations of legend! I hope to experience all of the species before they go. In my view, the extreme northern reptiles are the most important if climate change is a real thing and knowlege and understanding are keys to conservation. I love telling kids about what may be right under threir noses. Since college (last 10ys) I have herped in Auruba (no luck viewing the Cascabel), Florida, VT, NH, and Coasta Rica-saw many snakes including Crotalus durissus ! <--- my highlight. I make time wherever I am to field herp. This year I've seen Brown, ringneck, racer, rat, garter,ribbon, water in MA. I can't get near a milk, red belly, CH, TR, Hognose or a green to save my life! I enjoy viewing and identifying sally's and newts, turtles and frogs, but what can I say, I'm a snake guy. I would like to be included in any group hike in eastern MA in mid september. I'm headed to VT for work next Monday to Thur and will be spending a few hrs in split rock mt. Any advice? I work for Sam Adams here in Boston and will be running the Beer Lovers Choice tent at Sam Adams Oktoberfest all Friday and Saturday. Any beer lovers are welcome to introduce themselves, ask for Booch! Happy late season Herping!
Booch
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Gyri
Posts: 919
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:18 pm
Location: Northern New England

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Gyri »

Thanks for introducing yourself. While you're in VT, try Rock Art, it's my favorite local brew. Nothing bad to be said for Otter Creek either. I'm going to PM you in a minute, even from GA I can help you with that green :)
Joe Mahoney
Posts: 108
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:44 am
Location: MA

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Joe Mahoney »

Welcome Justin. You bring the beer and I may be able to show you some milks in central MA sometime.
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MassHorridus
Posts: 151
Joined: September 2nd, 2010, 6:31 am
Location: Dallas TX

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by MassHorridus »

Ah yes, mention beer and the road to green snakes becomes paved! Thanks guys! And if anybody has any beer questions, let me know! As for VT beer, I like the switchback on draft and otter creek.
Booch
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Gyri
Posts: 919
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:18 pm
Location: Northern New England

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Gyri »

MassHorridus wrote:Ah yes, mention beer and the road to green snakes becomes paved! Thanks guys! And if anybody has any beer questions, let me know! As for VT beer, I like the switchback on draft and otter creek.
Booch
I think switchback is my favorite beer on tap. I swear though, try Rock Art's jasmine pale ale if you like switchback.
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Thanks for the bio Justin. Please be sure to check out our database page at www.naherp.com. Sign up there too as the database is the main reason the NE chapter exists.
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Jeffreyrichard
Posts: 322
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:49 am
Location: Rhode Island

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Jeffreyrichard »

Joe Mahoney wrote:Welcome Justin. You bring the beer and I may be able to show you some milks in central MA sometime.
Surely Joe ... I think we have another Rat hunter for CT ...

Welcome Justin; hopefully you can join us for some MA/RI/CT excursions

As for beer, my vote is Dogfishhead 60 Minute IPA above all else ... but I'd be happy to offer you up a home-brewed IPA!
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Image

I was around 6 years old when I first read the above book. From there I was fascinated by snakes and other
Reptiles and Amphibians.
My Library expanded eventually til all I would be reading were snake books and field herping stories.

ImageImageImage

From then on, I was the kid in the creek flipping rocks for salamanders and water snakes while the others were
playing sports and GI Joe.
I have met a lot of interesting folks who helped me by going beyond the book knowlege and getting out there and learning the behavior of herps. I went on to study Biology and Penn State but soon learned that the need for herpetologists was very slim and that putting my dreams in my wallet were going to be tough. Unfortunately, I stopped going to college for biology and have been taking business courses ever since.
This still did not keep me from herps as I delved into the Herp world in it's hayday of the mid to late 80s, when importation of seldom seen herps became really common... and cheap. No better way to learn about herps then to study them in your own home. I had treevipers, rattlesnakes and tons of other "rarely seen" animals in the pet trade.
Walls and walls of cages..
Image

I also learned that these animals were basically plucked out of the wild where they lived stress free. And while some flourished, others perished. Even those that seemed to do well were heavily parasitised and just couldn't deal with captivity as the husbandry just wasn't published for some species.
ImageImage
I bred some stuff, like the usual ratsnake, corn snake easy stuff but was dismayed by the business side of the hobby. So my collection quickly dwindled to a few critters that I could easily manage and give the proper care they needed. And, I started having kids. Not wanting to put my family at risk by keeping venomous stuff was an easy decision.

I always kept field herping, and studying species demographics. I have always prided myself in knowing where things lived or at least supposed to be living. While I have been keeping field records since the early 80s, I didnt start taking pictures of everything until the advent of internet and more specifically Field Herp Forum. And since record keeping, stats and lists are other favorites of mine, the database at naherp.com was a perfect fit for me.

In 2006 NAFHA was founded by Jeff Lemm and others. The purpose of NAFHA was to bring together the collective knowlege of "Citizen Scientists" and professionals alike. The database is used as a conduit to provide entities with real data that years of experienced "amatuers" have collected.
NAFHA was divided into regions as folks began to come together in different areas of the country. A few of us decided to form what was then called the Mid Atlantic Chapter and in 2007 those folks coronated me president.
Image
Soon afterwards, we expanded into New England and became the Northeast Chapter. The Northeast Chapter quickly became the premiere chapter with the most posts and supplying quite a few records to the database.
We have had some turnover of members and continue to add new folks. I am proud of our showing in the database despite living in the most densely populated corner of the country and would encourage everyone to keep adding records.

Outside of Herping... believe it or not I have a few other things going on.
I have been married for 22+ years to my hottie. We have 4 kids, a son in college, a daughter who is a senior in high school, a son in middle school and daughter in second grade. Our youngest was adopted from China in 2004 and really keeps us hopping. I am the house guitarist in my church of 500 folks, play in a Christian rock band, solo and sing in the choir. My daughter and I have been on several mission trips to Mexico and Guatemala and are currently working with an organization called Cradles to Crayons which caters to less fortunate children in the Phildadelphia area. Check out the link. I also am busy coaching soccer and of course work full time for the local electric utility.

So this is the long version with much that could be added. If you havent done so, please write a little something about yourself. Can be 1 chapter of 5, but it is a great way to get know folks.
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brick911
Posts: 3488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:52 am
Location: Morrisville, PA

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by brick911 »

Nice bio Kyle. I'll get one up as well.
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Jeffreyrichard
Posts: 322
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 6:49 am
Location: Rhode Island

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by Jeffreyrichard »

I'll redo mine ...

Jeff Richard, 52 years young, from RI via MA, NY (Long Island), Ohio, AK, MI and IL ... most of it growing up.

I became a herper when I was 6 living in Northern Arkansas/Ozarks. Only spent a little over a year there, but it was paradise! I remember we lived in the woods, and I used to explore the yard and neighboring woods for Boxies and lizards every day. My first books were about reptiles or dinasaurs, and I could recognize most species of snakes at 6. Most memerable creature was a huge Cottonmouth crossing a stream that we had to drive through to get home (I was in the car).

We moved to Ohio when I was in 1-3 grade, and we again lived on the edge of woods with several vernal pools nearby. I found lots of garter and my 1st green snake there. My dad was a member of the JCs, and they had turtle races every year. I remember he brought home a bucketful of baby RES and Map Turtles one year for me. Of course I really didn't know how o take care of them :?

Next was Long Island ... still pretty rural in the late '60's. We had lot's of Boxies in my yard, milk snakes in the wood piles, and even DBTs in several ponds. I found my 1st Spotted Turtle wading in a small pond. I built a turtle pen for all my boxies.

Next we moved to SE Mass ... another reptile haven. I lived on a Cranberry Bog, with a pond across the street. The bog was loaded with spotted and painters, and big snappers lived in the pond and used our front lawn to lay eggs. Found my 1st hognose in the back yard, alondg with tons of garters, several black racers and milks.

I lost interest, or rather didn't make the time to herp from high school until 5 years ago. I did, however, undertake commercial breeding of tropiclal fish in my basement (150 tanks/4000 gallons of water) for about 10 years. I've been into fish since about 12, and still remain a big enthusiast (still have about 20 tanks). One of my friends, a biologist who I sold his first Discus to and he has since become an expert in the Discus field, turned out to be a herper. We started getting together about 5 years ago to look for Black Rat Snakes and Copperheads. Found some real nice BRS over the past few years, but still looking for the elusive CH 8-)

While I don't have a tremendous amount of time to get out in the field, I try to utlize my travels to visit new and exotic places. I will have been to the Pine Barrens twice, been herping near Sydney and seen Tiger and Brown Snakes up close and personal, seen a lot of wild Diamondback Terrapins (a favorite), been to CA and FL several times.

And I met a slew of great people from this forum ... Kyle, Bob, Ryan from PA/NJ; Joe Mahoney, Charles, MikeZ, Mike VanValen and Pete locally.

While my wife doesn't really like snakes (very afraid ... :( ) I still try to get her out as much as possible for at least nature walks ... she like turtles and helps me raise endangered Red Bellied Cooter for the state of MA in her 7th grade Science Class. I also keep several captive bred DBTs.

I hope to meet lots of new members and travel to lots of cool places ...
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MassHorridus
Posts: 151
Joined: September 2nd, 2010, 6:31 am
Location: Dallas TX

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by MassHorridus »

Gyri wrote:Thanks for introducing yourself. While you're in VT, try Rock Art, it's my favorite local brew. Nothing bad to be said for Otter Creek either. I'm going to PM you in a minute, even from GA I can help you with that green :)
had the rock art... Vermonster was excellent.
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pete
Posts: 745
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:11 pm
Location: cape cod ma.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by pete »

Image
Hi folks it's me.

I'm a landscaper and masshole transplant. I've been here for 23 years now.It's a cool state in a lot of ways. :thumb: I picked up my first snake when i was 4 ish and can't seem to stop. i love salamanders as well, they are fun to look for and NOBODY has a scary salamander story to share! :lol: i enjoy the forum very much, i've met some really cool folks here and hope to meet more.

as far as beer goes, partial to ufo and magic hat circus boy
stlouisdude
Posts: 458
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:30 pm
Location: St Louis, MO / Hartford, CT

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by stlouisdude »

Hello,

I am moving to Hartford from MO in a month.

About me: I'm ancient but pass for a much younger man. I drive a big truck with terrible fuel efficiency, and no it's not to compensate for any lacking elsewhere :lol: It's just that everyone in the midwest drives them and one is suspect of being a commie if he chooses not to. I have a wide interest in nature, but most of my "nature time" is spent trying to learn more about snakes. I also dedicate a few days each year to search for salamanders. I'm not sure how long I will be in the NE, so I will try to maximize my time here and see the most interesting places. My only knowledge of the NE comes from reading Bartlett's In Search of Reptiles and Amphibians along with a handful of journal articles. Fortunately, most of those articles include precise locality info! Hope to see many of you in the field!

Edit: Forgot to add the only beer I will drink is stag from the can.
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Be sure to hook up with Mike VanValen and others in the area.
Welcome and good luck with the move.
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DaveR
Posts: 230
Joined: October 9th, 2010, 12:00 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by DaveR »

First of all, the FHF is awesome. I just found it a few days ago and I've been glued to it since, to the detriment of household chores (just ask my PO'd wife).

I'm a 57 year-old amateur herper. I'm especially interested in snakes and I've kept them since I was 6 years old when an older kid in my neighborhood gave me a garter snake. I considered pursuing herpetology as a career when I went to college but altered that course after several prominent herpetologists (including Roger Conant - who I'd written to for advice) suggested that future employment prospects might be slim, and herpetology as an avocation might be more realistic. I followed their advice and have no regrets. I work in law enforcement (and have had run-ins with various state game officials while herping...but that's a story for another day) and I've kept on herping. I made a decision in 1976 to stop collecting animals (to place in captivity), and I've been content to get out in the field to observe animals whenever I get a chance - especially when I'm in "foreign" territory. I keep a small collection of pythons.

Looking forward to participating in the forum and learning from everyone. I've had a bunch of interesting experiences and observations over the last 50+ years - it's hard to avoid them if you're as old as I am and are active. I'll share them in the appropriate forums at some point. I also run and do triathlons, although I'm slowing down as I get older.
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Thanks for the Bio Dave, be sure to talk to Wayne Fidler from not so far away from you...
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incuhead2000
Posts: 670
Joined: November 16th, 2010, 11:04 am
Location: Germantown, Maryland
Contact:

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by incuhead2000 »

Hello all Mike Kirby here. I am new to the thread and have gotten a chance to hear others views and thoughts and am already learning new things, it is quite exciting. I have been a herper as long as I can rememeber, as a young kid flipping logs and looking for whatever slithers, hops or scurries about. I'm 28 years old and have lived in MD all my life. I just recently graduated from the University of Maryland and got my degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in wildlife management. I've been working in a local aquarium shop for the last ten years but am scouring the job market to find something a little more rewarding. The herping bug bit me seriously last year as school was coming to a close and found myself with some free time. I realized...hey! there are all these cool critters around here and I really would love to see them, so I finally decided it was worth spending the gas money to branch out and really start herping (rather than just walking around my neighborhood looking for the same old same old) so on one of my first adventures in march I got a lifer, a marbled salamander, and from there I was hooked. Snakes are my favorite one to try and find and I spent most of my summer chasing kings and milks after finding my first rattlers here but to no avail...maybe next year! Caught the spring migration for the first time and shared that experience of spotties galore with my little brother, it really is so much more fun to share this stuff with others, so here I am! I have a twin who lives in florida and we kinda make a game outta who can find what...and seriosuly he was jealous cause I got four lifers in MD over the summer...so what if one was my first green tree frog I've ever seen in MD (found tons in the outer banks) so I try to make him feel like he's missing out...I guess when he sends me pics of eastern diamondbacks and dusky pigmys I get a bit jealous :P Anyhow, nice to be here and I hope my contributions in the future can benefit our fellow herp friends!

Later all

-Mike
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kyle loucks
Posts: 3147
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 1:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania- Bucks Co. near Phila.

Re: Northeast Member Biographies

Post by kyle loucks »

Thanks for posting Mike... and welcome.
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