The Calusa Herpetological Society
Of Southwest Florida |
Thursday, April 5, 2018 - 7:00 pm
SPEAKER & TOPIC: Tonight's speaker is George Heinrich from Heinrich Ecological Services (heinrichecologicalservices.com). The title of his talk is "The Big Turtle Year: Celebrating Wild Turtles Across the United States".
Turtles play significant
ecological roles and are visible elements in many habitats.
A long list of diverse threats to species globally has contributed to
approximately 58% of all turtles being threatened with extinction.
Working in negative synergy, these threats present broad and immediate
conservation challenges for the second most endangered wildlife taxa in the
world. Despite the urgency of the situation, opportunities for
conservation are abundant and the charismatic attraction of turtles makes them
an excellent group for education and outreach efforts to enhance ecological,
conservation, and environmental awareness.
Sixty-two turtle species occur in the United States and many are of
conservation concern. While species from areas such as Asia, South
America, and Madagascar often receive the majority of conservation attention,
the plight of species within the U.S. quietly goes unnoticed. The
goal of The Big Turtle Year is to increase awareness regarding the status of
these often overlooked species and to emphasize their rich diversity, natural
history, and conservation needs. Throughout
2017, Florida Turtle Conservation Trust researchers visited numerous sites
accompanied by other biologists and conservationists in an effort to see as
many species as possible during a single year, while examining threats and
conservation actions needed. For
more information, please visit www.thebigturtleyear.org.
George L. Heinrich is a field biologist and environmental educator specializing
in Florida reptiles. His company, Heinrich Ecological Services, is based in St.
Petersburg, Florida, USA and conducts wildlife surveys and research, natural
history programming, and nature-based tours. A graduate of Memphis State
University, his current work focuses on the conservation of gopher tortoises (Gopherus
polyphemus) at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (St. Petersburg, Florida),
anthropogenic threats to diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin),
and distributional surveys of the Suwannee cooter (Pseudemys concinna
suwanniensis) within its southern range. George is an invited member
of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, served twice as
co-chair of the Gopher Tortoise Council, and is the executive director of the
Florida Turtle Conservation Trust.
See you there!
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 15 – 35 people attending every meeting.
After the meeting we go to dinner at Sidelines Bar & Grill on the corner of Colonial and Veronica Shoemaker Blvd. We will be in the back room. This is the same building as the old R.J. Gators where the club, for many years, would have dinner after the meeting.
For more info , call (239) 728-2390 or (239) 481-3525 or EMAIL: info@calusaherp.org