OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BAY AREA AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE SOCIETY Sept 2014

BEHIND BAARS

created by Maryland Natural Resources Police

General Meeting

Friday, September 26 @ 7:30 p.m. Doors open 7:00 p.m.

Cubberley Community Center, Room M-2, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

BAARS is an educational and conservational group of amateur and professional herpetologists who

want to share their knowledge, enthusiasm, and friendship with others interested in these fascinating creatures.

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CONTENTS President’s Report

BAARS and the Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander

Events & Shows & Meetings

August General Meeting Recap

Treasurer’s Report

Board & Contacts

Come to a Board Meeting!

Membership Matters

Editor’s Shelf

ONLINE RESOURCES OLDER NEWSLETTERS MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS East Bay Vivarium Berkeley - 10% Dr. R. Singh Veterinarian Sunnyvale - 10%

President’s Report

Hello BAARS Members and Supporters,

Last month’s meeting featured “Turtle and Tortoise Night”, which was a big success

with a silent auction as a fund-raiser. Members brought in their favorite pets with

shells, including leopard tortoises, radiated tortoises, Burmese star tortoises, and

others.

At this month’s (September) general meeting, we’ll have Mike Westphal speaking

on the color patterns of Garter snakes, including some discussion of the

endangered San Francisco garter snake. Dr. Westphal completed his doctoral

dissertation on Garter snakes: “On the Evolution of Correlated Color Traits in Garter

Snakes”, thus he is eminently qualified to discuss colors in Garter snakes. He’s

currently a wildlife biologist, employed by the Hollister office of the Bureau of Land

Management.

At the October BAARS meeting, we will feature Gerold Merker speaking on herpetoculture with an emphasis on how to

maintain snakes, lizards, amphibians, and food items. Gerold is a successful breeder of snakes (and runs Merker Reptiles),

as well as being a published author of several reptile books, including books on Rosy Boas, Grey Banded Kingsnakes

(alterna), and California Mountain Kingsnakes (zonata).

The BAARS board could use some help, especially with social media, as we continue into the 21st century!

We have great speakers lined up, so please help get the word out!

Please come to a meeting, and please invite a friend who might share your interest in herps!! 

Sincerely,

Scott Alexander, BAARS President, 2014

Cell 408-823-3675

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BAARS and the Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander by Scott Alexander

Photo and more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_long-toed_salamander

BAARS has raised over two hundred dollars earmarked for activities in support

of the Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander, in the “Salamander Fund”. We are in

the process of planning a volunteer event with the US Department of Fish and

Wildlife, which manages several wildlife refuges in the Santa Cruz area. They

have asked us to reach out to our membership and see whether we have ideas

for enhancing their tunnel system, which runs under San Andreas Road, as

detailed in their email to us:

“We have a possible project involving SCLTS at Ellicott Slough NWR. San

Andreas road runs along the refuge (and through it at one point) and is a cause of road mortality for migrating CTS

and SCLTS at the refuge. Several years ago, a diversion fence/tunnel system was built to provide a safe way for

salamanders to get across. That tunnel/fence has fallen into some disrepair, and the fence was recently rehabilitated.

There is conflicting information and opinion on how useful these systems are, and whether salamanders actually use

them or not. One theory is that even though these are "mole" salamanders they do not want to go through a dry, dark

tunnel.

We would like to set up or explore the concept of setting up a system that can document salamanders use of the

tunnels. One idea has been the use of motion detecting cameras. This would be great, but these cameras use IR and

detect heat AND motion. This could be an issue for a cold-blooded species (obviously). A colleague suggested a

pressure plate that could trigger a camera.

Another less "techy" issue is the dryness of the tunnels. Perhaps a wetting system could be developed using misters or

even drip irrigation?

Finally, a super "techy" project would involve photo recognition software to ID individual salamanders both CTS and

SCLTS. Similar efforts have been used to identify individual whales based on dorsal fins, and I think its being used

elsewhere. Right now, tracking a salamander from season to season requires invasive tattooing or PIT tagging, which

is expensive and has possible negative impacts on individuals. "Pattern recognition" could be an answer...

The reason I bring these ideas up is that your location in silicon valley suggests that some tech savvy folks may be a

part of your organization and may have insight into these technologies.

If you have ideas and suggestions, please post on the BAARS facebook group or send me email

(mail4scottalexander@yahoo.com).

Thanks for any and all ideas; I'll keep everyone informed via the newsletter and the BAARS facebook group!

REFERENCES

Effectiveness of Road Tunnels for the Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander, by Mark L Allaback and David M Laabs (2002)

https://www.wildlifeprofessional.org/western/transactions/transactions_2002_2.pdf

Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum),

December 2004

http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/uploads/files/1240533407SCLTS%20Rec%20Plan%20-%20Dec%202004%20draft.

pdf__

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Events & Shows & Meetings by Joanne Hiratsuka Petersen

Details are on our BAARS.org website under Shows.

Contact Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com.

BAARS Merchandise: http://www.cafepress.com/baars Wear a club t-shirt to an event to support and promote your club!

September 2014

September 26 7:30 p.m.

BAARS General Club Meeting Speaker: Mike Westphal on The Color Patterns of Garter Snakes START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)

September 27 10 a.m - 3 p.m.

Chitactac Family Day Chitactac-Adams County Park, 10001 Watsonville Road, Gilroy Contact: Rhonda Velez, avelstude@sbcglobal.net or Gil Castro, tortoise.whisperer@yahoo.com to participate in this event.

September 27/28 Sacramento Reptile Show Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Sacramento 17th annual show! For 2014 we have brought back the ever popular venomous reptile displayfeaturing more than 45 venomous species from around the world including King Cobras and Black Mambas. The show features all the latest reptile products needed to care for your new reptile pet. The Sacramento Reptile show is your one stop for everything reptile in Sacramento. http://sacreptileshow.com/ BAARS will not have a booth at this show.

October 2014

October 3 7:30 p.m.

BAARS Board Meeting - 7:30 p.m. Aleks’ house. Email vhaecky@gmail.com if you need directions. For details, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

October 5 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

YSI Wildlilfe Festival Alum Rock Park, 16260 Penitencia Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95127 **** BAARS IS NOT PARTICIPATING AT THIS EVENT DUE TO LACK OF REQUIRED INSURANCE**** Hold a snake, touch a toad, and meet hawks, owls and other animals! Join us at the Youth Science Institute’s Wildlife Festival. Food and fun throughout the day. Families can participate in wildlife programs, hands-on science. BAARS is not participating; if you need information, contact Mel Sarmento-YSI Alum Rock Site Administrator, Educator, & Volunteer Coordinator, YSI- Youth Science Institute, Alum Rock Park, 16260 Penitencia Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95127(408) 258-4322, http://www.youthscience.org

October 18 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Audubon Wildlife Education Day Blackberry Farm, 21979 San Fernando Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014

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Wildlife Education Day has become one of the premier events in the Bay Area where hundreds of families come together to celebrate and learn about nature. Join SCVAS and overa dozen other organizations to celebrate nature, ecology, and wildlife. There will be live animals, educational presentations, poster contest, many free hands-on activities, early morning bird walk, and nestbox nd bird feeder construction. This is the 23rd annual event! Also see SCVAS website for more info: http://www.scvas.org 21979 San Fernando Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014 Contact: Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com, to participate. Please arrive at 9 amin order to get set up and good parking. SVAC contact: Toby Goldberg, Programs Coordinator, (408) 252-3740, programs@scvas.org, www.scvas.org

October 24 ~6 p.m.

Palo Alto Junior Museum Contact Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com.

October 24 7:30 p.m.

BAARS General Club Meeting -- Halloween Speaker: Gerald Merker Costume Contest and Treats START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)

November/December 2014

November 7 7:30 p.m.

BAARS Board Meeting - 7:30 p.m. TBD For details, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

December 6 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Holiday Party and Elections START TIME: 5:30 p.m. (Doors open 5 p.m.)

August General Meeting Recap by Rhonda Velez

Good afternoon everybody,

Thanks for another fun and financially successful BAARS general meeting. We collected a total of eighty-five dollars in

cash and checks last night (and that's without Tony's donated percentage of Frozen Rodent Sales added in)! As highest

bidders, four members took home silent auction items, making us sixty-two dollars! There were only seventeen of us in

attendance. I think we had more cold blooded shelled than two legged warm blooded animals in M2. Thanks go out to

Scott Alexander, Gil Castro, and Peter M. for donating items for sale and auction.

Relocating Rescued Rattlesnakes (and other native wildlife). Read this article, if you want to learn the rules. The short version: Don’t.

by California Outdoors Q & A

http://californiaoutdoorsqas.com/2014/08/21/relocating-rescued-rattlesnakes/ Photo

by Rebou (Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Crotalus)

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 Photo by Peter Jarosz (Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pazifikboa.jpg)

Boas of Candoia genus change color!

The August newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society has an article on Candoia natural history and husbandry. Contact behindbaars@gmail.com for a copy of the newsletter through our newsletter exchange program. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1476f0be648

30640?projector=1

Amphibians of the San Francisco Bay Area 

Survey Techniques Workshop November 21­22, 2014 

Laguna Environmental Center, Santa Rosa, CA

Flyer with more info: http://goo.gl/YqND7e This event is NOT free and NOT sponsored by BAARS.

Live Animal Key Chains—True or False? Read about it:

http://www.ryot.org/photos-chinese-vendors-sell-live-fi

sh-and-turtles-as-key-chains-fyi-they-make-great-snacks

/110385

See what Snopes says:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/keyrings.asp

Sign the petition :

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Petition_contre_les

_amulettes_danimaux_vivants_en_Chine/?pv=513

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Treasurer’s Report by Scott Petersen

Treasurer’s Report

Scott Petersen

This report covers the month of August 2014.

Cash flow for the month of August was $215.42, giving the club $1684.13 YTD positive cash flow Year-to-Date, with

monthly income of $396.75 and expenses of $181.33. As usual, our general meeting room rent and the hardcopy

printing and mailing were the club’s biggest expenses for the month.

Income for the month was $396.75. The income sources were membership dues and donations received as result of club

participation at the Santa Clara County Fair. A big thank you goes out to those members who contributed their time

during the 4-day event. And a special thanks goes out to Gil who coordinated not only BAARS and California Turtle &

Tortoise Club, Silicon Valley Chapter, but the other groups who shared our large shaded space.

As was mentioned last month, PAYPAL continues to be used by more members for membership renewals. The

advantages to you of using PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/login ) are that the transaction can be done online from a

desktop or smart mobile device, you can use either a credit card, debit card, savings, or checking account, you have the

security of PayPal acting as a buffer between your account and the group or person you are making payments to, and

sign-up is free. If you use the “Send Money to a Friend” option, the club avoids paying the service fee. The receiving

e-mail address you should use once logged into your PayPal account is baars.payment@gmail.com . The advantage to

the club is that your dues are directly deposited into the club’s PayPal bank account.

For the month of August 2014, the club had the following allocated funds:

● Salamander Fund: $213 ● Tax/Legal Fund:  $735 ● Petty Cash:    $40.50 

As of the end of August 2014, our checking account was $4703.00 As mentioned before, because the club is using

CAFEPRESS (http://www.cafepress.com/baars) for T-Shirts and other items with the BAARS logo and artwork and PayPal

more, it makes sense to report the balances in those accounts. Their totals are:

● CafePress Balance: $15.96 ● PayPal Balance:   $178.54 

Here is a quick look at the Year-to-Date income, expenses, and cash flow, as well as the details for the last three

months:

Posting Date:   ___YTD__      6/30/2014  7/31/2014  8/31/2014  Income:  $2827.16       $420.00    $625.00    $396.75 Expenses   $1179.03        $26.96    $104.77    $181.33 Cash flow:      $1648.13       $293.04    $520.23    $215.42   

  

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Board & Contacts President: Scott Alexander; 408-823-3675, alexander_scott@yahoo.com Vice President: Eric Koessel, 510-847-4392, erickoessel@yahoo.com Membership Secretary: Kyna Hendra, 408-204-5131, Membership.baars@gmail.com Treasurer: Scott Petersen, scottepetersen@gmail.com Recording Secretary: Vacant Publicity Director: Vacant Newsletter Editor & Webmaster: Aleks Haecky, vhaecky@gmail.com Show Coordinator: Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com Adoptions Coordinator: Austin Pleban and team, baars.adoptions@gmail.com Social Media MAL: Jeff Whitnack, whitnack@pacbell.net MAL: Gilbert & Dorothy Castro, 408-582-4247, Tortoise.whisperer@yahoo.com MAL: Tania Tengan & Michael Pleban & Aria Pleban, 408-499-5867, tmtengan@att.net MAL: Rhonda Velez & Tony Velez, 831-540-8119 Come to a Board Meeting! by The Board

All are invited!

Board meetings are held at different board members’ homes, so this is an opportunity to see other folks’ collections and

get firsthand tips on reptile keeping. You also get to see how your club operates behind the curtain. And there is always

plenty of food, too.

Check out the Events schedule for locations and times of board meetings.

Membership Matters by Kyna Hendra (Membership.baars@gmail.com)

Could you renew/join using PayPal from our website?

Click right here to get to the BAARS Membership page.

For old fashioned “check-in-the-mail” delivery, print the form from the BAARS Membership page and mail it to: BAARS Membership Secretary c/o Palo Alto Junior Museum 1451 Middlefield Road PALO ALTO CA 94301­3351

Find out why turtles breathe through their butts! http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2014/06/17/Why-some-turtles-breathe-through-their-butts/2541403025519/ 

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Editor’s Shelf by Aleks Haecky

All our newsletters are published on ISSUU! Check out the latest issue, and all issues since November 2012. You can also access the newsletter from baars.org If you cannot accept large attachments, this is a way for you to see the newsletter, even when it has a lot of images.

BAARS website: www.baars.org

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BAARSociety Lists events and activities.

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/239964525544/

Yahoo Group/Email Group: http://www.yahoogroups.com/neo/groups/BAARS/info

Newsletter Exchanges: Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter Page BAARS exchanges Newsletters with other clubs. Contact the Newsletter Editor for information.

Contributions and Advertisements To advertise or publish in our newsletter or on our website, contact behindBAARS@gmail.com.

We love herp-related original articles, trip and show reports, stories about your animals, and original photographs and

drawings. You retain all rights but grant us permission to use, edit, and publish in the newsletter and on our website with

attribution. Only submit materials for which you own the copyright or have written permission from copyright owners.

Parting Shot by Jeff Whitnack (the editor has forgotten what kind of snake this is, so this is conveniently left as an exercise to the reader)

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