The Calusa Herpetological Society Of Southwest Florida

Thursday, November 6, 2025 - 7:00 pm 

Speaker Information: Our speaker for this month is Dr. Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzales, from IFAS (The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences), the Director of Wildlife & Habitat Management at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.  The title of her talk is American Crocodiles as Bioindicators of Restoration in the Florida Everglades.

Venetia has 25 years of experience working with wildlife in south Florida and the Caribbean, and over 15 years devoted to working with crocodiles and alligators in the Florida Everglades landscape. She has been actively involved in RECOVER and CERP efforts to assess restoration targets and impacts and recently published a manuscript to evaluate crocodilian response to Everglades restoration efforts using a 40-year long-term dataset. Dr. Briggs-Gonzalez hails from Belize and received her PhD from University of Miami with post-doctoral work at Boston University and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama as the recipient of the UNESCO-L'Oreal For Women in Science Post-Doctoral Scholarship award. Venetia has ongoing international research projects in Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, and Jamaica that include crocodilians, turtles, frogs, and wildcats. She has an active publication record and serves on editorial boards for several peer-reviewed scientific journals. Dr. Briggs-Gonzalez is a senior member of The Croc Docs lab at the University of Florida and serves on the Executive Committee for the IUCN's Crocodile Specialist Group. She is the mother of two young daughters, an athlete, and an orchid aficionado.

After the meeting, you are invited to join us at a nearby restaurant (announced at the meeting) for more herp discussions and camaraderie over food and drinks. See you there! $5.00 for non-members per meeting or buy a year membership ($25 individual) or ($30 family/business) . The address of the Calusa Nature Center is 3450 Ortiz Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33905.

WHO'S INVITED? You are! Anyone with an interest in any aspect of herpetology or herpetoculture is welcome to attend, learn, and exchange their experiences with our friendly membership. Come out to meet others who keep, breed or study reptiles and amphibians, and let them share their fascination with you. We average 10 - 20 people attending every meeting.