Hello, my name is Alec, i live in louisville Ky. Ive loved everything that crawls or slithers since i could walk, though i didnt know the word herping or that i wasnt alone in my passion until age 10. Ive now been very serious about herping and my seasons of herping keep getting better. Currently, since im a minor, i have my Naherp.com account under my fathers name but i still get to contribute.
along with herping i own 5 snakes, 2 lizards, & 2 frogs and am currently rehabilitating a garter snake that was trapped in some landscape netting.

Great to have you aboard, Alec. Your father must be Paul.

We are looking forward to some great stories and photos from you guys.

Daniel

do yall ever come down to lake thurmond in georgia

I've bass fished in Clarks Hill resevoir quite a bit... never got any herping in though.

Hey everyone,
My name is Jordan Schmitt, and I'm from Altus, Oklahoma. My dad was in the Air Force, and then got a job at the Tampa International Airport after he retired from the USAF. That is how I ended up here in Florida. I now reside in Brooksville, Florida (Hernando County). I am going to be 17 this July, and I am going to be a junior in high school. I hope to go to college and become a herpetologist and/or zoology teacher. My favorite herps here in Florida would be the Southern Hognose and Florida Cottonmouth. Other than herping, I play basketball for my high school and I play shooting guard and small forward. I also love fishing, freshwater and saltwater, just overall that's what I do on my off time. My dad now currently lives in Texas, so I do get to herp in the Lone Star State every year, usually ends up being a good trip.
-Jordan Schmitt

Alright, fine... I've been a longtime lurker on this forum, but I guess I'll take a second to join the others in introducing myself. My name is Brad Waffa and like so many others here I'm a lifelong reptile enthusiast. You can read my full bio elsewhere, but currently I'm a full-time veterinary student and small scale breeder of exceptional quality North American colubrids, primarily locality milk snake subspecies. An avid field herper with an eye toward conservation, my overarching career goal is to improve the husbandry and veterinary care standards of captive reptiles while helping to bridge the gap between academic herpetology and popular herpetoculture. I'm very approachable and love to collaborate -- shoot me a PM to introduce yourself or learn more about my research!

Hi everyone,
My name is Dale Wilson and I reside in Shepherdsville KY. I am 46 years old and have been into herps since I was a child. My first jobs were in the pet trade which introduced me to lots of exotic herps I hadnt seen before. Althought when I was younger i kept and bred several species i now only have a Gecko and concentrate on conservation and education. I have recently rejoined the Ky herp society and am lucky enough to have a girlfriend that has become interested in this as well as taking pictures. I try to spend as much time as possible in the field and have property in Ohio co as well. We mostly stay in KY but have been to Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico and have made several trips to FL. We just got back from Reelfoot Lake in Tn and that was an interesting trip.

http://projectsimusflorida.synthasite.com/links.php

Glenn Bartolotti

James, 26. Mobile AL.



Like most people on here, snakes are my favorites but as you can see I like frogs too. I'm also into fish, birds, plants, butterflies, you name it. I've been into herps since day one, but growing up in the city it was not always easy to find them (other than green anoles, southern toads, etc). By the time I was in high school, my interest in music somewhat distracted me from my interest in natural history (I am still a musician but it doesn't distact me from herping anymore ), but maybe 5 or so years ago I started getting into herps again, not finding much besides garter snakes, racers, box turtles etc. Around 2008 I discovered this forum and was hooked. I now write down everything I see in a journal and submit data to NAFHA, and thanks to this forum I have met cool people like Tamara, who is even more obsessed than I am

Now instead of just finding anoles and box turtles, I sometimes get to see cool stuff like this

My name is Jayd. I am 26 years old and live in far eastern Kentucky. I have lived in eastern KY for all of my life (except for 2 years in Hattiesburg MS. Great herping!) I am a park naturalist at Breaks Interstate Park (one of only two interstate parks in the nation, situated on the Kentucky and Virginia state line) by trade and i am very fortunate that i get to spend most of my time outdoors in some capacity. I spend a lot of time on the trails, conducting nature hikes, educational programming, and oversee the museum and nature center. I enjoy teaching about all animals, but there is a special place in my heart for herps. Almost all of my spare time is spent outdoors hiking, herping, canoeing, caving, hunting and fishing.

Glad you're participating, JD.
I've always had a special respect for naturalists that deal with the general public on a regular basis.

Hi everyone! My name is Kevin and I recently was medically retired from the U.S. Army. I did 16 honorable years and the wear and tear on my body finally caught up to me! I'm married with children! My 11 year old son is a reptile nut like me. I have a small collection of Ball Pythons, a Carpet Python, a Rosy Boa, a pair of Crested Gecko's, a Leachie Gecko, a Gargoyle Gecko and a Hermann's Tortoise. I have had Kingsnakes and Milksnakes in the past. I plan on breeding BP's in the near future! I also breed my own Rats and have bread Mice in the past. I plan on getting back into Mice so I'll have food for smaller snakes and might get into Milksnakes and Kingsnakes again. I'm from Houston, Texas but now reside in Biloxi, Mississippi area. I spent many summers exploring the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas and got into a little trouble for catching Venomous Snakes. Well, I can't wait to go Herping this year! Trust me....I will post many pictures! I love taking pictures and just got a new toy! (Cannon EOS Rebel T2i)

Hey everyone,

My name is Jordan Schmitt and I am currently a junior in high school. I live in central Florida, and I'm originally from Altus, Oklahoma (on the Air Force Base). Reptiles and Amphibians have been my passion since I was very little. I play varsity basketball and I am hoping to maybe get a basketball scholarship with the grades I've been getting in school and how I've been playing real good on the court. I play small forward and shooting guard and I am 6'3". Either way when I go to college, I look to pursue a degree in Zoology and minor in probably law enforcement. If there's anything I'd love to do besides be a guy who works with herps, I want to be a fire-fighter and still do what I love to do on the side. Snakes are definitely my favorite of the herps then I'd say aquatic salamanders like sirens and stuff.

My father lives in Texas, so I also get to herp there, but now that I will have my license in June, I will be taking advantage of living where I live to find some cool stuff.

I am also looking forward to my first breeding season this year. I did make a post in the "Herpetoculture" Forum on here, and I posted a lot of pictures of the stuff I am putting together this year, so I know I will be having fun with that this year.




That's all for now everyone,

-Jordan

shorty54
Welcome again, Kevin.
We'll look forward to some pictures this year.



Jordan S.
Welcome Jordan
You have two great localities for herps. We want more pictures.


Our data base is linked to the forum, and yet separate.
We would welcome you both to join it and take a few moments to add any creatures you find.
The locations of your finds are secure in that they can only be released with your permission.
There are many here that can help you with IDs and nomenclature, if needed.

Regards, Bill

Thank you, I've actually been registered, and I've added a few entries already! I have a new post coming soon on the southeast forum!

-Jordan

Hi All! I am David with my lovely wife Suzanne. I was originally on this site under the name davidbarber1, California chapter, before it crashed. I have listed 96 records on the naherp database. I took a break, but now I'm back. I was recently married to Suzanne in December and moved to Alabama a month ago. My main interest is herps and scorps (along with all animals). I was fortunate enough to marry a woman who has the same interests as me. Suzanne is also an avid birder and I am getting into the swing of that now. I already put up one record under our new name on naherp and I plan to add quite a few more. Suzanne knows the area and we plan to do some outings very soon. Actually starting this weekend. My targeted species are A. contortrix and A. piscivorus. All herps in this area will be new to me and I can't wait to find them with my wife.

David and Suzanne

Welcome again.
LA (Lower Alabama) is certainly different than LA (CA)!!!!!

Hey fellas...just joined the forum today. My name is Justin and I live in Cary, NC. Originally from Salisbury, NC. Been field herping since I was a boy. I don't currently have a lot of spare time (work in the wine business), but I frequent state owned land near NC State University, Eno River St Park near Durham, and Raven Rock St Park (Lillington) the most for herping. Lots of Queen snakes and northern water snakes on the Eno. Do a lot of solo backpacking, mainly Eno River area and Uwharrie Forest. Headed to Croatan National Forest this year soon. Like the site so far and really enjoy the pics.

Hello,

My name is Zachary Denmeade, I have lived on both the east coast and currently residing in the west coast of Florida, I go out twice a week to look for herps. I have been handling animals since I was 4 capturing wild snakes for my private school (elementary) to remove them from classrooms, bringing them in to show my mom and her freaking out. I have handled everything from a Brown Anole to American Alligators; I still looking for an American Crocodile. I have always enjoyed playing in the swamp, woods, and even finding herps in an urban environment. I would love to open a Sanctuary for endangered reptiles and try helping bring there numbers back to the top as well as research them more.

Welcome, Justin,
Also try the greenway around Falls Lake.




Welcome, Zach,

That seems to be common in some schools in Florida! My daughter is a teacher in an elementary and constantly rescuing herps on campus!

Will do Bill...thanks for the tip!

Hey folks,
I often field herp with the Kentucky crowd, so I'll sign up. Looking forward to more herping!

Hello all,

My name is Dalton Lund (as the username suggests), I'm an avid herpetoculture enthusiast. I'm 15 years old, currently living in Rhode Island, but moving down to Tennessee in a few weeks. I've intended to pursue herpetology as a career for a while now, and am currently in the process of planning college and whatnot. I'm very interested in field herping, and if anyone is itching to go out for a while, let me know. I'm still learning obviously, but I'm making steady progress in my education. I keep frogs for pets, currently 2 White's Tree Frogs, and recently released two Rana Sylvaticus and one Rana Pipiens after keeping and studying them for about a year. I've been fascinated by reptiles and amphibians my whole life, snakes in particular. Thanks for listening, and I'm glad to be here.

Barry
Welcome to the SE
You certainly contribute much to the SE already.

Dalton,
Welcome.
Living down here will open a plethora of new species to discover.
Good luck
PS PM sent about releasing long term captives; definitely a no-no down here.

Hi, I'm Frank.

I was born and raised in Osnabrück which is a medium sized town (165.000 inhabitants) in the northern part of Germany. The first fourty years I kept staying in this boring place but then moved to Emden three years ago, which is situated in the northwestern most part of my country, close to the river Ems estuary, the North Sea, and the Dutch border.

Even at "Kindergarten" I was already interested in wildlife in general, but later I began to concentrate myself on birds and herps. At the age of twelve I finally had my first encounter with an alive snake in the wild (Dice Snake at Lago di Garda/Italy) and from that time on I was fascinated by these elegant creatures even more (and don't understand why they scare many people).

I've had six trips to the US so far. While the first three were mainly focussed on birds (Rhode Island, California) the latter three (South Carolina, Florida) I decided to take mainly shots of herps, because they became even more exciting to me. I handle them with care, but do not like them in captivity at all. My intention is to show their beauty.

I hate working (as a quality controller)! But on the other hand I have to cope with it to get enough money for my trips - and at least breakfast. In one single sentance: work is always standing in the way! Hopefully I'm going to win in lottery in the close future to fulfill my dream of having a trip to the US or the Mediterranean which does not end "surprisingly" after three weeks



Male Red-backed Shrike



Female Red-backed Shrike


Together they have been the first (successful) breeding pair of this species in my county ever and raised three young in 2012.

Best regards,

Frank

Welcome, Frank.
Many of the folks you'll meet here are interested in all aspects of the natural world.

Hey All,

I am Todd and I live on the West coast of Florida in Largo. I love to take photos of different reptiles and nature in general. Even though I have been catching reptiles all my life, I just got into field herping officially last year from this forum and I will admit I am mostly a lurker. ha ha Josh, welcomed me and showed me the ropes...thanks Josh! Anyway, my fascination started with Snakes after I got bitten as a boy by a Coral Snake around 9 years of age. We lived in the country in Florida and I was barefooted and sitting in grass around our barn and it was early morning and I guess he/she thought my toe was a Frog and bit me right between em. Seems hard to believe but true. Man it hurt on way to Hospital and soon I was in a comma but thanks to the good Lord, Drs, and the anti venom I lived to tell about it. Trust me, you do not want to get bit by hots! Any ways, from that point on, I started collecting and raising Snakes and Lizards and even though I am an amateur at best, I enjoy it very much! I am known for my LOVE of animals (especially reptiles) and people always call me when one is found or injured. My hobbies are Fishing, Bowhunting, Yaking, Photography, and basically anything outdoors. I am crazy about my 4 kids and a couple even like to go out with me and get all sweaty and bitten by bugs. My wife NOT so much! ha ha Oh well, you can't have it all.

my name's samuel dery, i've been herping as long as i remember. ive herped in al,az,ar,pa,fl,ga,il,wv,ms,va and maybe afew other states east of the mississippi on trips to family in va and pa; and never left the 48...yet!!!

[quote="Barry R"]Hey folks,
I often field herp with the Kentucky crowd, so I'll sign up. Looking forward to more herping!

[/quote"i gotta p" the funniest licience plate i've yet seen said "2xl1s" on a volcan

My name is Matt Smith and I have been a lurker here for longer than I care to admit. The level of knowledge and photogrophy on the forum was intimidating to me but I have come to realize that the people here are very supportive and it was time to start contributing. I also thought it was important for me to begin entering my data into H.E.R.P..

I graduated from the University of Akron in May and worked the summer with the Forest Service in the Medecine Bow National Forest in Wyoming as a Fisheries Technician. There I saw lifers including Crotalus viridis, Crotalus oreganus concolor and Anaxyrus boreas boreas as well as some pretty gorgeous Colorado River Cutthroat Trout. I am currently working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the Western Florida panhandle. While the pay and befits aren't great, I work with both non-game and game animals, including several herps, and would be hard pressed to find a job I would enjoy more. I also have the opportunity to interract with the public quite a bit and am trying to get the message out that snakes do not need to be killed on sight as this appears to be the prevailing mind set here. Since arriving here in late September, I have added quite a few lifers including Crotalus adamanteus, Ambystoma talpoideum and Ambystoma bishopi (with the help of some interagency schmoozing).

I have been married almost thirteen years and am lucky enough to have a wife that will go herping with me occasionally as well as share in my excitement. While not herping we like to fish, camp, hike, and would love to start kayaking.

I am very enthusiastic to be a member and hope to continue learning from the extremely talented and knowledgeable crowd here on FHF and NAFHA. Hope to see you out there.

Matt Smith

Welcome, Matt.
You're in a great area for herps.
Watch for outing announcements where you may meet some of these fine folks.

Many of our outings have been quite convienent for you to get to in Crestview. And there are several of us not terribly far from you either. I am just north of you near Montgomery.
Welcome
Chris Montross

Howdy Folks!
I'm Barry from Southern Indiana, I've field herped with a few of you and am
looking forward to more.

Well I will bring to life the sleeping thread. My name is Chance and I am living in the Florida Panhandle, just south of Leon county and a mile from the gulf. I was born and raised in Cairo, Ga. and attended FSU back in the late 90's. I was a member of the football team and was apart of the 99' national championship team. I ended up punting footballs there my junior and senior years. Born a lover of all things legless, my interest grew to venomous herps in 2002. Cairo, Ga. neighbors Whigham, Ga. which to my knolwedge is one of the last known Rattlesnake Roundup in the southeast. I attended one as a kid and one in high school and was saddenend at what I saw. Growing up in a culture of the only good snake is a dead snake mentality, I have made it a goal to try and sway peoples perceptions concerning the truth about venomous snakes in general. I spend most of my time with my soon to be wife Erika and her 5 year old son Hunter out and about in this area road cruising and hiking a private tract of property. The property I hike is a large tract of land that is also an excavation site that is a half mile from the coast.. Two summers back a picture was posted on FB by a guy my girlfriend knew. It was a dead rattlesnake that he thougt was some sort of a Hybrid. Ended up being a patternless adamanteus. After a month of investigating I contacted the landowner and was able to meet him and since developed a friendship. He informed me that in the past they killed on average a dozen or so Diamondbacks. After talking he and I came to an agreement, he would stop killing them, and I would gladly remove them. I am hooked on the possibility of finding another "green" adamanteus and spend most of my free time on his property. I am also dispatched locally through the Sheriffs department for any snake calls and remove them from folks homes and properties when they call free of charge. I get very few calls that are anything more than a racer or ratsnake, but I try to do my part and relocate them nearby..most of the time in the woods at the end of their driveways..lol. I keep several species of North American crotalids and hope to one day, when I can afford to, offer educational talks in my county and surrounding areas. I have 2.2 adult adamanteus from the sand pits and hope to breed them in the next year. I don't like to take wc snakes into captivity especially adults, but the thought of possibly producing the patternless trait was something I couldn't pass on I realize chances are slim the 2 pairs I have carry that trait, although they were within a 2 acre area where the patternless was killed, but I figured I'd give it a try. Sorry to ramble. I really enjoy this forum and I enjoy reading posts from others who are as passionate as I am about reptiles. Heres to the diamondless diamondback.

cheers

Since I am technically a member of the SE Chapter, by way of SC, it seems appropriate to throw up a bio.

Hey folks, My name is Mike VanValen, I'm 35 years old, 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 was born in southwestern CT, but lived in Jacksonville, FL for a while as a small boy. Florida is where my interest in herps began when my parents took me to see the alligators being fed at one of the parks.

Back in CT, I began catching herps in the small patchwork of farmland and creeks behind our house. I was in the mud pinning down snapping turtles and flipping brownsnakes and garters at 8 years old. I learned the old school way : trial & error, pestering old timers, reading books, and spending plenty of time in the field. This was before the internet and the era of "fast food herping"...just pull up to an internet forum and order a location

I ended up volunteering at Connecticut's only zoo as a teen and worked heavily with turtles and crocodilians. I faded away from field herping for a short time in my 20's but always kept reading and learning. In 2006 I jumped back into field herping big time and that coincided with finding Field Herp Forum and NAFHA. These days most of my field work takes place in Connecticut where I have done projects with the state of Connecticut, the Audubon Society, Yale Peabody's Herpetology Department, and Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo.

As far as the Southeast goes, I have spent field time in central NC, coastal SC (where my sister lives), and central and southern FL. My goal is to relocate to South Florida and get back into working with Alligators and Turtles, educating, and of course enjoying the year-round herping and weather.

I haven't had the chance to meet anyone from this chapter yet but I hope to change that soon!

Barry,
Remind one of us on the next outing to get a better picture of you!


Welcome, Chance.


Mike,
You're always welcome down here.
We need someone with dignity from Connecticut in this group, because all we have is Josh.

Hey everyone!! I'm Bethany from Tennessee. It didn't take me long to figure out that there are a ton of awesome people on this forum!

My love for reptiles started when i was about 5 or 6 years old- taking pictures of the skinks out by the barn. My love for lizards grew into an undeniable passion for all reptiles and amphibians. I wanted to identify the skinks out by the barn, and begun to learn more and more about them. From then on i have never wanted to stop learning about reptiles and amphibians. I usually don't like reading, unless it's about nature, ecology, or herpetology. Field herping is my favorite way to spend my time. Nothing else is more enjoyable to me. I usually herp solo, but I would love to have a herping buddy who is just as passionate about it as i am. Until about a year ago, i never knew just how many people enjoy field herping too! I am also an avid herpetoculturist! Lizards are my main focus as far as keeping goes, but i also have a snake and turtles. In the future i hope to have my own Abronia breeding program and as well as other species. In college i hope to study zoology and specialize in herpetology. I would love to work with a program that works with re-establishing threatened reptile/amphibian species into their natural habitat while working on improving the habitat as well. Now that i am 15 years old, my knowledge of reptiles and amphibians has greatly increased. So, this April i will be teaching classes on herpetology to the youth of my community. I am really excited, because i love talking to younger kids! It will be very fun and educational!

Holding a kingsnake that i found when i was younger...


Me nowadays trying out my new Midwest snakehook on a ratsnake haha.


I am thrilled to be apart of such a great community, and i look foward to knowing you better and learning more about reptiles and amphibians!!

-Bethany

Hi my name is Page Whatley I grew up in miami in the 60s-70s. If you didn't have herps in my neighborhood you where a freak or worse a sissie. Been involved ever since. I've lived in se alabama the last 17yrs since retiring from the army. we have lots of snakes we keep and breed. We still go fieldherping when ever we can. All my kids are into it, and have their own projects. Thanks for keeping this site up. not much of a computer guy but will try to post some all along. Good luck to everyone this spring If your in the Dothan area look me up we'll go find something.

Page again noticed some folks are into birds as well. I'm a master class Falconer flown many different types of raptors. Just a side note. Ya'll have fun see ya.

Welcome both Bethany and Page.

Hope to see you both on one of our field outings, official or unofficial.

Keep tuned into the SE Forum.

Greetings all. Agkistro here. Also known as the Great Snake Seer or the Swamp doctor...but more commonly called Steven Pitts. I dwell in the flatlands of northwest TN about an hour east of Reelfoot Lake. Graduated this past december from UT Martin with a biology degree, which is degree number two (the other being english, which explains why I needed another degree). My herp obsession has been a long time in the making. Unfortunately I ignored the call in my younger days when I casually wanted to feel a ratsnake bite and pestered one into obliging me. Many moons later, I was fortunate to encounter a nice timber rattler in the smokies and I did not ignore the call after such a sight. Hopefully soon, I'll be attending grad school at either Austin Peay State University or the University of North Florida.
We've got some amazing watersnake populations out here. Cottonmouths at times seem to grow out of the ground. A few mudsnakes here and there, some noisy (and tasty) frogs, a decent variety of salamanders, though mostly ambystomatids. Turtles are fun to look for at reelfoot. I'm also a very amateur botanist (more along the lines of I like ID'ing flowers and trees). Thankfully I've never been bitten by anything venomous, yet.
From what I've previously read, seems like a rather looney bunch to befriend here, so I figured I better go ahead and join as well.

Welcome, Steven. We hope to see much more from you in the form of photos and stories. And most definitely in the field.

Daniel

Speaking of photos, I haven't figured out how to, yet. What's the procedure for posting them?

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13987, that should help. Welcome to the forum.

I think this is the worst part of any of these types of communities. I really don't like talking about myself, but here goes.

I'm originally from Indiana. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, and my first real passion in life was birds. I knew I wanted an education relating to nature, so when the appropriate time came, I attended Purdue University and received a BS in 2006 in Wildlife Management with a focus on animal behavior. While there I met some guys into field herping and found it interesting and a different kind of challange than birds. They took me down to Shawnee Nat'l Forest and that absolutely rocked.

After graduation I worked some non-career jobs for about 3 years. I did a summer stint at a State Park, and was also a research assistant conducting line transect bird surveys of neotropical migrants. Please don't ask me to identify that warbler, I have forgotten all of those songs! (or the answer is always Black-throated Green Warbler) After seeing the economy collapse, and meeting my future wife, we decided that extra education couldn't hurt, so I found (at the time) a new interdisciplinary program at Purdue and picked up an MS in Ecological Sciences and Engineering. My focus there were the politics and human dimensions of wildlife management.

My partner and I decided to make a go of PhD's and to make a long story short, I am now in pursuit of a PhD in Geography here at the University of Florida in Gainesville. My areas of expertise are as follows:

Small island developing states, primarily in the Carribean
Eco tourism, sustainable tourism, heritage tourism of the Caribbean
Climate change and impacts (with a focus on small islands of the Caribbean)
Human-environment interactions
Political ecology

When I am not in school, I am spending time with the wife or being outside with the wife taking pictures of things in nature, or sleeping.

Thanks for the help ss.

couple of other questions. first, how to get a profile picture? second, how to edit my profile? I've been trying for a while, and me and the system are just not agreeing.

Welcome, Steven,
You'll find on the forum a nice blend of professional ologists, students, avid herpers who do it as a hobby, citizen scientists who contribute to the data base, and everyone pretty much gets along.
If you choose Austin Peay, I believe Floyd Scott is retiring, but they all seem like a good lot there.