Newsletter
Plain Text Newsletter below (machine generated)
Photo by Aleks Haecky
BAY AREA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY
March 2023
General Meeting
March 24, 7:30pm
Speaker: TBD
President’s Letter[a][b][c]
Hello, BAHS Members and Supporters!
I hope everyone is staying dry and safe. It’s been a crazy last few weeks with all the storms we’ve been having. Of course, this is going to be great for the frogs and salamanders. Are you going to check the creeks to see if they are out?
Here at my house, there was no major flooding. I did lose power one night. Everyone is fine. Thankfully, my power out backup plan worked. I brought the Forsten's tortoises and the rhino iguanas inside to the reptile room. I didn't worry about my Russian tortoises; they are still hibernating. I closed the door and left them alone. The room is insulated, so the heat from the lights keeps the room warm even if we lose power. If the blackout should be longer than a day, I do have a generator, and then I can plug in a space heater to keep the room warm.
Do you have a disaster plan? Having one is important, especially with the weather as it’s been this winter. Your plan doesn't have to be super-fancy as long as it works for you and your animals. It’s something to think about.
Spring is so close and I'm excited for the beginning of the breeding season, and it also means I get to let my Russian tortoises out. They have been hibernating since November and December.
With the warmer weather, native species are starting to come out. The other day, I picked up an alligator lizard from someone in Santa Clara. It was caught in a sticky glue pest trap. If you come across this situation, first you have to cut all the extra paper around the lizard. Second, soak it in warm water with either mineral or olive oil. Then you can gently remove the paper. It’s best to have another person to help hold the lizard, especially with an alligator lizard, as they like to bite. I released the lizard the next day.
Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting last month to hear me speak. I talked about all the different species of reptiles I keep, have kept, and have hatched.
This month our speaker is Edgar Machuca Sahagun from Geckogen. His talk will be an Introduction to New Caledonia Geckos.
I can't wait to see everyone on March 24th, at 7:30 p.m., at the Cubberly Community Center .
Steven Sifuentes, BAHS President 2023
NorCal Reptile Show 2023
By Pete Marshall
The NorCal Reptile Show is now in the books. It was great to be able to work and attend a show after a absence of three years.
To start the year off, it was me and my niece Zoe Bailey, and for the most part in the past, it was just me and Jeff Whitnack working the show circuit. To start off this year, it was different; it felt like old times with the usual suspects working the tables for BAHS. Tony and Rhonda Velez and Juan Landazuri were at the table, and for the first time as our new fearless leader, Steven Sifuentes. I’m happy to see someone like him step up and take the reins of BAHS and come in with new ideas and interest to keep the club going. It will be interesting to see what Steven has in store for us this year and in years to come.
The first day was a good start to the show; there were a lot of vendors and visitors. I think the show was well marketed. With this show being the first of the year, I think people were excited about getting out of the house and coming to check out the reptile scene.
BAHS and North Bay herps were together in the same area, and it was good to have two clubs together. Unfortunately, we were on the far side by the stage and bleachers, so if you didn’t come to the back of the building, you would not have seen us. Despite the trek, we still had a lot of people come by our table and North Bay’s as well. On both days, we had a steady flow of people coming by to talk and look at the animals we had on display.
Adults and kids alike were eager to handle snakes, ask a lot of questions, and take photos with them. A lot of people were asking about what we do as a group, and how they could get in touch with us, and where we are located. We had good interest from the public.
One thing I enjoy about doing shows is hearing from people that are not into snakes and lizards, yet here they are at a reptile show. It is a great experience to see the look on someone’s face when they touch a snake for the first time. It’s really like nothing else they’ve touched before!
On Saturday, Juan brought his African rock pythons to show off. To me, they are one of the most beautiful pythons you can have, but they are not as calm as other pythons. The African rock python requires experienced keepers. Luckily, on Sunday, Juan brought his albino Burmese python. People were really excited to see it, handle it, and take photos with it. His Burmese was awesome and took to handling with ease. So many people wanted to take photos with it.
Rhonda was very busy greeting kids and helping them to play Spin the Wheel for a donation. Kids took home reptile-themed prizes, and it was good for BAHS to come away with a few hundred dollars for our time at the show.
I walked around to check out what the vendors were selling and the animals they were offering. It was really interesting. I saw baby black pine snakes which you don’t see much at shows. I also met a man that had a heavy interest in bullsnakes as he had a lot of them to sell. Being a bullsnake fan myself, that was nice to see for a change. One vendor had a table of all reticulated pythons of many different colors.
Being by the stage area allowed us to see the presentation from Safari Encounters without having to move. We had front row seats to some degree, and what a presentation it was. They came with an alligator that was rescued from a mall parking lot, a 35-pound alligator snapping turtle, an armadillo from South America, a two-toed sloth, and a ring-tailed lemur. It’s great to have a place like Safari Encounters to rescue these animals and give them a place to live out their lives. Without them, the animals would not have made it in the wild.
This was the first of many shows to come, and it is really good to see these shows make a comeback. The expo went really well, and anyone would have an amazing experience volunteering at these shows. Doing shows is a great way to meet new people and tell them all about your love of reptiles. You get to demonstrate why reptiles are so cool and how they have a place in the world. If you have never done a show, this year would be a good time to come out and see what working a show is all about. The next one will be the San Jose Reptile Show in June, and I hope to see some new faces there.
If you would like to know more about volunteering at a future show, look below for show schedules, and email avelstude@gmail.com.
Interview with Kathy Arnold
by Madalyn Wang
Many of our readers are probably invested in the technical aspects of reptile maintenance, but have you ever wondered about how our Bay Area Herpetological Society has maintained its nonprofit status through the past few years?
Meet Kathy Arnold (left), the Treasurer and Secretary of BAHS. She started out wanting to preserve the well-being of her red-eared slider, but little did she know that she would be an essential part of keeping BAHS a compliant nonprofit for years to come.
“In my working life, I was a research and development program manager. I’m here to add structure around people that love reptiles!” says Kathy.
She has an undergraduate degree in biology, but her encounters with herps started much earlier. “As a little girl, I remember my father getting a small turtle,” she recalls. “We also often had fish in the background of our lives.” She had cats and dogs throughout childhood, and grew up with a natural fondness for animals.
One of Kathy’s fondest herp memories was made on a trip that she took to Central America. While in El Salvador, she witnessed olive ridley sea turtle hatchlings (right) emerge from their nests to trek to their Pacific home. “It made me try to become more aware of what environmental activities we can avoid to help the sea turtles out,” Kathy explained. When asked about her favorite media representation of turtles, she immediately named Pixar’s Finding Nemo. “Disney did a pretty good job of showing how the green sea turtles did their big migration. They humanized them, so you feel like you want to know them.”
At the moment, Kathy is devoted to one rescue turtle for whom she created a tranquil and spacious backyard pond environment. Turt (furthest left), as she is simply named, was living with two other red-ear sliders, but these adoptees were aggressive towards her. Kathy sought out BAHS (BAARS at the time), and the organization served as a bridge to find homes for Turt’s two tormentors. Now Turt is happily hibernating and sharing her environment with just a handful of peaceful koi.
Kathy is a handbell musician and is the treasurer for two area-wide handbell musician organizations. Besides herps and handbells both starting with the letter h, Kathy emphasizes, “All organizations must be compliant with the IRS and the state. It is important that we have transparent transactions and smooth reimbursements!”
We appreciate you, Kathy, for being a cornerstone of BAHS’s organizational history. And also, a big thank you to Turt for bringing Kathy to us.
If you would like to be interviewed about your fondness or experiences with herps, please reach out to behindbaars@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.
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Upcoming Events
Here is the schedule with all the shows for the year so far.
See https://www.baars.org/calendar/events-shows-meetings for the full year and most up-to-date listings.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 2023
March 24
Friday
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
General Meeting - Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6
See http://www.baars.org for details.
Speaker: TBD
April 2023
April 1-2
Saturday-Sunday
10 am - 5 pm both days
Redding Reptile Expo and Aquatics
Holiday Inn, 1900 Hilltop Drive, Redding, CA
Experience the world of Reptiles and Aquatics up close and personal! Where you can buy, learn and explore all under one roof! Featuring reptile and aquatic breeders/suppliers, product and novelty vendors. Plus educational presentations and fundraiser raffles for our nonprofit guests! This family-friendly event is great for all ages.
Tickets: Adults (13+) $10 online, $12 at door; children (6-13) $6 online/$7 door, children under 6 free, seniors (60+)/veterans $8/$10. https://reddingreptileexpo.com/
Attendee: Pete Marshall
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you can bring herps
April 7
Friday
7:30 pm
Board Meeting by Zoom
Join for business, or just for social chatting.
Email behindbaars@gmail.com or any board member for details.
Board meetings are open to all members. Please, always verify the date with a board member.
April 15-16
Saturday-Sunday
Sat 10 - 5 p.m.
Sun 10 - 4 p.m.
⇒ 9:30 early admission if buy tickets online
Sacramento Reptile Show - no BAHS representation, info only
The Pavilion at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815
24th year, bigger than ever, featuring the ever popular venomous reptile display featuring more than 45 venomous species. The reptile show and sale includes 120+ vendors and is a great way to educate both adults and children on the world of reptiles. This is your opportunity to come face to face with reptiles from around the world! Tickets: Single day: Adults+teens $15, kids 3-12 $10, under 3 free; 2-day pass: Adults/teens $25, kids 3-12 $17; 9:30 early admission if buy tickets in advance; parking $10. Purchase tickets online at https://sacreptileshow.com/
April 21
Friday
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
General Meeting - Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6
See http://www.baars.org for details.
Speaker: TBD
April 29
Saturday
10:30 - 2 p.m.
Summit for the Planet
Mount Madonna School, 491 Summit Road, Watsonville, CA 95076
17th Annual Summit for the Planet-Earth Day Celebration. Be a part of a community-wide event celebrating Earth Day and giving inspiration to today’s youth and their families on how they can take meaningful action on important environmental issues. (Walk-a-thon precedes the Earth Day festivities at 10 am; BAHS is not participating in that.) This is always a fun event for BAHS; we’re indoors and includes lunch. Must be set up by 10:30 (can start as early as 8:30); can start packing up at 1:30. We’ve done this show for years, it’s great!
Attendees: Steven Sifuentes, Rhonda Velez, Jeff Whitnack; Joanne Petersen
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you can bring herps
Mt. Madonna contact: Linda Manzur, linda.manzur@mountmadonna.org
April 30
Sunday
1-4 pm
Hartnell College STEAM Family Science Day - FREE + open to the public
411 Central Ave., Salinas, Willard Lewallen STEM Center
Campus map: http://www.hartnell.edu/location/1-hartnell-college-main-campus
So many young people haven't had any kind of animal experience outside of their schools. It will be a great opportunity to educate them about the wonderful world of herps. Hartnell College student clubs, staff and faculty will highlight the fantastic world of science to inspire the next generation of scientists in the Salinas Valley.
The Family Science Day will offer a wide range of activities and demonstrations, including:
- Hands-On computer workshops in the state-of-the-art Tech Mobile, other hands-on science activities; music
- Science demonstrations, nutrition, and healthy living activities like health screenings
Please arrive by 10:30 am if you are bringing herps to show.
Attendees: Tony & Rhonda Velez, Juan Landazuri, Jim Goehring
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you can bring herps to show
Hartnell contact: Joni Black jblack@hartnell.edu
May 2023
May 5
Friday
7:30 pm
Board Meeting by Zoom
Join for business, or just for social chatting.
Email behindbaars@gmail.com or any board member for details.
Board meetings are open to all members. Please, always verify the date with a board member.
May 26
Friday
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
General Meeting - Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6
See http://www.baars.org for details.
Speaker: TBD
June 2023
June 2
Friday
7:30 pm
Board Meeting by Zoom
Join for business, or just for social chatting.
Email behindbaars@gmail.com or any board member for details.
Board meetings are open to all members. Please, always verify the date with a board member.
June 23
Friday
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
General Meeting - Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6
See http://www.baars.org for details.
Speaker: TBD
June 24-25
Saturday-Sunday
Sat 10 - 5 p.m.
Sun 10 - 4 p.m.
San Jose Reptile Show - volunteers wanted!
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, Pavilion Hall, 344 Tully Road, San Jose
A menagerie of turtles, snakes, lizards and other creatures that slither, crawl, slink and scurry is coming to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The San Jose Reptile Show is family friendly with free kids activities and opportunities to interact with lots of cold-blooded creatures.
Buy tickets online to save: Adults/teens $12 online/$15 at door, youths 6-12 $5, 5 & under free, online Family pass $25 (Sunday only; 2 adults/teens and 4 youths included) https://reptilerealms.com/
Attendees: Jeff Whitnack, Rhonda Velez, Steven SIfuentes (Saturday only), Joanne Petersen (Saturday only)
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you can bring herps.
Reptile Show contact: Rick Porter, Rick@reptilerealms.com
July 2023
July 7
Friday
7:30 pm
Board Meeting by Zoom
Join for business, or just for social chatting.
Email behindbaars@gmail.com or any board member for details.
Board meetings are open to all members. Please, always verify the date with a board member.
July 15-16
Saturday-Sunday
Sat 10 - 5 p.m.
Sun 10 - 4 p.m.
Vallejo Reptile and Oddity Expo - no BAHS representation, info only
Solano County Fairgrounds, McCormick Hall, 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo, CA
Lots of reptile vendors with all kinds of reptiles to purchase along with all the supplies you need from tanks and decorations to food for your reptiles. Also come and get your oddities and curiosities with all things strange and unusual. Lots of items that are handmade and amazing, including taxidermy items. Free parking! Adults $15, Children (ages 5-12) $5, Toddler (4 & below) free. All profits from ticket sales will benefit JnW Reptile Rescue. Discounted adult/kids tickets online while available: https://vallejoreptile.com/buy-tickets starting June 1.
*** CHECK WEBSITE https://vallejoreptile.com/ FOR CHANGES ***
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you are able to bring herps.
Show hosts: Joe and Wendy Lam of JNW Reptile Rescue, (707) 557-5213 or cell (707) 373-2455
July 21
Friday
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
General Meeting - Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6
See http://www.baars.org for details.
Speaker: TBD
July 29-30 AND
August 5-6
12:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Santa Clara County Fair - World of Reptiles – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road, San Jose
Take some time off -- we need all the help we can get for these 4 days of intense fun! There will be 200 kids or more from various youth groups coming to see our World of Reptiles and learn from us. Let’s make this a great teaching experience for them and us! The fair is from Wednesday July 26 to Sunday July 30 and Wednesday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 6th, but BAHS will only be attending on the weekends. BAHS can work shifts -- you don't have to stay all day! Please bring your pets (or come and field questions to give someone a break) even if it's just for a few hours on any of these days -- you'll get a free admission pass to the fair for the days you'll be volunteering if you sign up in advance with Rhonda! http://www.thefair.org/ for more info.
Attendees: TBD
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you are able to bring herps.
Show Host: Rick Porter, Rick@reptilerealms.com, (408) 784-1806
August 2023
August 4
Friday
7:30 pm
Board Meeting by Zoom
Join for business, or just for social chatting.
Email behindbaars@gmail.com or any board member for details.
Board meetings are open to all members. Please, always verify the date with a board member.
August 19-20
Saturday-Sunday
Sat 10 - 5 p.m.
Sun 10 - 4 p.m.
San Mateo Reptile Show - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
San Mateo County Event Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo, CA 94403
A menagerie of turtles, snakes, lizards and other creatures that slither, crawl, slink and scurry is coming to the San Mateo Event Center. The San Mateo Reptile Show is family friendly with free kids activities and opportunities to interact with lots of cold-blooded creatures.
Buy tickets online to save: Adults/teens $12 online/$15 at door, youths 6-12 $5, 5 & under free, online Family pass $25 (Sunday only; 2 adults/teens and 4 youths included) https://reptilerealms.com/
Attendees: Joanne Petersen – NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS OR WILL HAVE TO CANCEL BAHS TABLE
Contact: Rhonda Velez, (831) 540-8119, avelstude@gmail.com, if you can bring herps
Reptile Show contact: Rick Porter, Rick@reptilerealms.com
August 25
Friday
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
General Meeting - Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6
See http://www.baars.org for details.
Speaker: TBD
BAHS 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. We promote knowledge and enjoyment of reptiles, amphibians, and other herptiles.
Adoptions: See https://www.baars.org/adoptions for details on how to get your animal listed.
Newsletter created by Aleks Haecky and Michael Go. Contact: behindBAARS@gmail.com
Bay Area Herpetological Society Website / Facebook Group
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