1 Topic by gopherman

  • gopherman
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Topic: Union County Waterfest herp presentation

Union County Waterfest was held yesterday and today in El Dorado.  This program educated all the 6th graders from Union County about the importance of the Sparta aquifer and the importance of clean water to the environment.  I was not able to make it yesterday but I was able to present "animals and water" to the El Dorado 6th graders.  Now, this may not seem like a challenge but there are about 350 El Dorado 6th graders.

This presentation could not have happened as smoothly as it did without the splendid help of "spongebob squarepants."  Now, spongebob did not actually attend the event but the local man behind the costume did.  David Joyner (aka prof. dave) assisted with the animal presentations and Tobin Fulmer (aka frogman) graciously lended a toad and treefrog for display. 

Dave and I debunked some snake myths such as "the stinging snake" aka mudsnake and "all watersnakes are water mocassins."  The frogs, toads, and snakes were very exciting to the children.  Hopefully, some of the kids will think twice about the importance of animals (yes, even snakes) and maybe one of them will be a future conservationist.

Kory and others tend to have more elaborate posts, but honestly, I'm drained but wanted to share the news about the great conservation efforts that members of this forum are working towards.

Quick synopsis: 

The living herps we showed:

american toad, green frog, green treefrog, broad banded watersnake, "Larry" the garter snake, "Cosmo" the mudsnake, and the "mystery box turtle" (I'm unsure whether it's a three-toed, hybrid, or ornate).

We had a great time and we even got a "free t-shirt".  Oh Yeah, we did talk and conduct demonstrations for 6 hours non-stop, but it was worth the "free t-shirt" big_smile

not all dung is created equal (pellets, juicy pads, partially undigested, fully digested, big quantities, small quantities)--Paul Skelley

2 Reply by frogman

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Re: Union County Waterfest herp presentation

I'm glad to hear it went good. Hopefully more kids will learn to respect and appreciate herps. Anytime you need any more specimens, I'm glad to help out.

"They are just not right in the head. For the record, I wasn't talking about the ostriches!"-Mike Rowe

3 Reply by prof.dave (edited by prof.dave 2011-09-03 04:07 pm)

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Re: Union County Waterfest herp presentation

I appreciate being asked to take part in Waterfest.  It was a great way to learn! (For teachers, doing the same thing again and again in front of different groups of 11-12 yr. olds)  Mr. Connior(Gopherman) made the presentation fun and ineresting.  The toad, tree frog and green frog were the perfect Bufo, Rana and Hyla specimens(Thanks to Tobin) and the 6th graders enjoyed getting a close look at all 3 of them together; as they passed the cage, I put on my frog mask, and mimicked their calls.  The juvie snakes worked nicely because (except for one girl) no one got scared and cried.
   They enjoyed watching the juvie broadbanded swimming in the plastic tub(with only its head above the surface) One teacher said "Oh, I've seen them before!"  During lunch break(well, Gopherman and I only got 5 min)I overheard an adult volunteer excited and sharing how to I.D. a water snake by the way it swims.  He said he learned it from the 6th graders! smile
   The kids were actually disappointed that Cosmo wouldn't roll like a hoop!  big_smile  They did get to let him wrap his tail around their fingers and 'sting' them ("Ooh, that felt weird!")  And I loved asking,"Mr. Connior, what did the mudsnake do when you found him" and he'd explain about why mudsnakes flip to show their red belly, and explain protective colorization.
   The mystery box turle was a big hit, and allowed Gopherman to explain the characteristics of 3-toed and ornates.

"...be as wise as serpents..."  Matthew 10:16
"...I just thought that should be brung out"  ~Goober (on 'The Andy Griffith Show')

4 Reply by kaptainkory

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Re: Union County Waterfest herp presentation

Great job, guys!  These days are a LOT of work, as I and others know, but also very rewarding.  I'm sure many children AND adults were educated.

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