Registration closes on March 16. Cost is $40 ($20 for students) and includes lunch.
Walk-up registration (space permitting) is the same price, but does not include lunch. If you are a student that is unable to attend only because of the registration cost, please reach out to us about reduced price or free registration.
Keynote speaker will be Dr. Allison Sacerdote-Velat, Curator of Biology & Herpetology and Vice President of Conservation Research at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Chicago Academy of Sciences).
To increase our knowledge about Ohio’s herpetofauna, Ohio Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (OHPARC) is pleased to announce the availability of automated game camera traps, for use at no charge, to qualified organizations and individuals. Apply now. (Get pdf of announcement for printing, posting.)
WHAT: Available at no cost are Reconyx HP2X professional research cameras (retail value: $459/ea.) that have been modified by the manufacturer for use in an AHDriFT array for capturing photos of reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Each successful applicant will receive two Reconyx cameras (one for each end of the drift fence), SD Cards, rechargeable batteries, a charger, two buckets with lids and acrylic covers, a drift fence, and rebar stakes. The materials provided by OHPARC must be returned to OHPARC at the end of the season.
WHO: Park districts, land trusts, conservation organizations, and researchers who are interested in furthering our understanding of the distribution and status of amphibians and reptiles in the state are encouraged to apply.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION: Successful applicants will be expected to:
Provide wooden guide boards and cut them to fit the buckets.
Install and maintain the modified 5-gallon buckets to hold the cameras and the associated drift fence (see information below).
Install the array(s) where the likelihood of theft or vandalism are minimized.
Run and maintain the system for a full season (April – October).
Contribute herp photos and data to the Ohio Herp Atlas (atlas.ohparc.org) and Ohio PARC for presentation at the annual Ohio Amphibian & Reptile Conference.
What are AHDriFT camera trap arrays and how do I build one?
The AHDriFT consists of an entrenched drift fence which intercepts small animals moving across the landscape and directs them to a modified 5-gallon bucket containing a camera trap. Animals passing through the bucket trigger the camera.
The method used by Amber et al. (2021) has been slightly modified to use a single piece of 20-24″ high x 50′ long metal flashing for a linear drift fence (instead of plywood in a y-configuration), requiring only two camera traps (one at each end). See instructions here. A complete list of materials needed to build one of these simplified arrays is provided in this spreadsheet; the anticipated cost is about $50-100/array with successful applicants being provided all the materials except for the wooden guide boards at no cost.
Emerging diseases are a commonly discussed issue among those who work with amphibians and reptiles. But what about everyone else? Lots of people go into wetlands and herp habitat, but not everyone is aware aware of the risk they pose as potential vectors of disease.
Led by Advisory Board member Teal Richards-Dimitrie, OHPARC recently sent a letter to organizations, agencies, and individuals to make them aware of the disease issues and to encourage proper biosecurity measures. You can read the letter here.
