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FW: See you Saturday at the 7th Annual Great Worcester Herp Search

From:

Norm Saunders

Reply-To:

Norm Saunders

Date:

Thu, 10 May 2007 11:26:01 -0400

FYI

  _____  

From: Maryland Coastal Bays - Dave Wilson
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 8:47 AM
To: 
Subject: See you Saturday at the 7th Annual Great Worcester Herp
Search


Reptile, amphibian search May 12

The seventh annual Great Worcester Herp Search will take place
Saturday, May 12 when volunteers scour county lands for reptiles and
amphibians. 

Sponsored by the Coastal Bays Program, Delmarva Low Impact Tourism
(DLITE), Salisbury Zoo, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and
Salisbury University, the search kicks off at 9 a.m. at the Coastal
Ecology Lab next to the Assateague Island Visitors Center on MD 611. 

A brief pre-hunt training session will feature live turtles, snakes,
frogs, and salamanders and explain ways to identify them in the wild.
It is free to the public and will be held to prep volunteers for
searching four Worcester County sites in the morning and afternoon.

Last year 138 reptiles and amphibians representing 22 species were the
result of the search held in northern Worcester County. Unusual finds
included two ground skinks, a kingsnake, and two ribbon snakes. Among
the additional quarry caught and released by volunteers were box,
snapping, mud, painted and spotted turtles, a stinkpot, hog-nosed,
worm, ring-necked, garter, and northern watersnakes, black racers,
fowlers toads, green, gray, southern leopard, and wood frogs,
red-backed salamanders, and five-lined skinks. 

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. The search will provide data to help scientists better
understand population trends in this declining group of vertebrates.
No animals are harmed or removed from the wild during the search.

For those coming from Salisbury, a university van will be available
for carpooling at 8 a.m. on the north side of the Henson Science
Building at Salisbury University. Another van will be available at the
Salisbury Zoo at the front entrance by the golf course at 8 a.m.

In the morning, sites include forestland at the corner of Holly Grove
Road and US 50 and the Tyson plant ponds in Berlin. Developer Troy
Purnell graciously granted access to the properties. County
Commissioner Virgil Shockley was also generous in allowing the use of
his farm Saturday morning along Whiton Road. The Summerfield property
near Snow Hill will be the site of the afternoon trip.

After the morning trips, volunteers will return to the Ecology Lab for
lunch and a slide show of the a.m. findings. Participants should bring
a sack lunch and drinks. Groups will return to the field around 1:30
p.m. until approximately 5 p.m. The trips are not recommended for kids
under 9 years and all children under 14 must be accompanied by an
adult. 

To view the results of last year's search go to
www.delmarvalite.org/events. For more information call Dave Wilson at
the Coastal Bays office at 410-213-2297.

-30-