FYI, reposted from Dave Wilson, Outreach Coordinator, Maryland's Coastal Bays

-------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- 
From: "Dave Wilson" <> 
Subject: Herp training April 8 - press release 
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 16:27:17 +0000 




Herp training April 8 

To prepare for the fifth annual Great Worcester Herp Search, Delmarva 
Low 
Impact Tourism Experiences and the Coastal Bays Program will be holding a 
reptile and amphibian identification training session at Salisbury 
University in Henson Hall Room 263, Friday, April 8 at 9 a.m. 
The session will feature live turtles, snakes, frogs, and salamanders 
and 
explain ways to identify them in the wild. The training is free to the 
public and will be held to prepare for the Great Worcester Herp Search May 
14 when volunteers will scour Worcester County with guides to document what’ 
s left of Worcester’s reptile and amphibian populations. The training is for 
ages 10 years and up. Volunteers may participate in the May 14 search 
regardless of whether they attend the training session. 
Last year more than 200 reptiles and amphibians representing 17 species 
were the result of the search held in northern Worcester County. Unusual 
finds included a rough green snake, eight marbled salamanders, and a 
melanistic hognosed snake. 
In Worcester, there are approximately 19 species of snakes, 15 species 
of 
frogs and toads, eight species of salamanders, 13 species of turtles, and 
four species of lizards. Worcester County and the coastal bays watershed 
have more reptile species than any other county in Maryland. 
Sponsored by Delmarva Low Impact Tourism Experiences, Salisbury Zoo, 
Assateague Coastal Trust, Salisbury University, the Maryland Department of 
Natural Resources, and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, the Herp Search 
will provide data to help scientists better understand population trends in 
this important group of vertebrates. 
For the training, DNR Wildlife and Heritage biologist Scott Smith will 
review native amphibians from 9-10 a.m. followed by Salisbury University’s 
Dr. Bill Grogan who will describe reptiles from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. After 
lunch, groups will depart to sites in Worcester and Wicomico counties for 
field training. The training will end at 4 p.m. 
To view the results of previous year’s searches go to 
www.delmarvalite.org. 
For more information call 410-213-2297. 
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