23rd Annual Midwest Herpetological Symposium
Sponsored by Iowa Herpetological Society (www.iaherp.org)
November 9-11, 2007

Dave Barker of VPI, Inc. will be speaking about ball pythons. During the 1990’s Dave & his wife Tracy maintained the largest and most diverse collection of pythons in the world. The Barkers have been successful in breeding pythons from numerous taxa for the first time ever in captivity, including black-headed pythons, Lesser Sundas pythons, southern scrub pythons, Tanimbar pythons, Wetar pythons, and more. The Barkers are also successful authors of two volumes of Pythons of the World. More information can be found on their website www.vpi.com. Dave Barker is also the featured speaker at the Saturday night banquet where he will present a travelogue of his adventures.

Garrick DeMeyer of Crested Gecko and Royal Constrictor will talk about geckos. He has been breeding reptiles for over 15 years, working with hundreds of species of lizards and snakes. His main areas of interest are geckos, pythons, and boas, producing new and exciting color morphs of geckos, ball pythons, and boas. He received his BS in biology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1996. CrestedGecko.com focuses on crested geckos and other rhacodactylus, leopard geckos, fat tail geckos, and bearded dragons. He produces about 5,000 geckos and bearded dragons annually.

Alyse DeVries, lead keeper of reptiles and amphibians at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, is talking about artificial insemination of snakes and crocodiles (Semen Collection and Artificial Insemination in Snakes and Crocodiles). Alyse has been employed at the Henry Doorly Zoo for four years. Her interest in herpetology started at an early age as she grew up on a reptile farm in Iowa. She is involved with many projects at the zoo and has had the opportunity to do field research in several areas. He talk will cover the progress Omaha’s zoo has had over the past three years with assisted reproduction in snakes and crocodilians.

Dan Fogell, a professor of biological and human sciences at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska will join Jeff Parmelee in speaking about Iowa’s pit vipers. Dan has a strong interest in the pit vipers of Nebraska and Iowa, especially those populations that are at the extreme periphery of their range. He has conducted radiotelemetry studies on three different specials of pit vipers, including Iowa’s only known population of prairie rattlesnakes. Currently Dan is preparing a field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. He also has an interest in wildlife photography and recently had several images published in the new Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of South Dakota.

Eric B. Holt, owner of Empire of the Turtle in Florida, will speak about turtles and tortoises. Eric earned his BS in biology in 2007. His personal collection now focuses on more than 40 species of aquatics and contains over 800 turtles. The mission statement of Empire of the Turtle is: “To learn all that I can about the native Florida species and the exotics under my care, while breeding the latter over several generations without inbreeding; To use this site, other media (books and magazines), and presentations to distribute the information that I gather from my own work and collect from other sources; To support hobbyists of like mind and promote responsible keeping of these amazing animals.”

Jessi Krebs is supervisor of reptiles and amphibians at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. His talk is entitled “A Response to the Global Amphibian Extinction Crisis from Omaha’s Zoo”. Jessi, a reptile and amphibian enthusiast since childhood, has been in the zoo business for 12 years. He serves on five national steering committees for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ “Herp” Taxon Advisory Groups and Amphibian Species Survival Plans. Several of the conservation and research projects in which Jessi has been involved have taken him to Puerto Rico, Madagascar, panama, South Africa, and Mexico.

Jeff LeClere, Friday night hospitality speaker, is a well-known and respected member of many herpetological societies throughout the Midwest. He currently conducts fieldwork for the Minnesota DNR but has also performed surveys in Iowa for the Iowa DNR and the Nature Conservancy. Jeff’s photographs have appeared in books, magazines, newsletters, and other publications. He is the author and photographer for the www.herpnet.net web site. Be sure to check it out!

Jeff Parmelee, associate professor of biology at Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa, will join Dan Fogell speaking about Iowa’s pit vipers. He received his BA in biology from Illinois Wesleyan University, a MS in biology from Illinois State University, and his PhD in systematics and ecology from the University of Kansas. Jeff currently conducts an active student-faculty research program; every semester several students collaborate with him on research projects ranging from salamander breeding behavior to radio tracking rattlesnakes. He is active in publishing papers and is editor of the Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science. Jeff is currently working on an on-line herpetological atlas of Iowa and with Jim Christiansen on a book on reptiles and amphibians of Iowa. In May Jeff will lead a group of students on a trip to Madagascar.

Rico Walder of Signal Herpetoculture will be speaking on green tree pythons and emerald tree boas. Signal Herpetoculture is a small company located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, dedicated to providing quality captive bred reptiles for the discriminating enthusiast and collector. They have been keeping and breeding reptiles since 1979. Their primary interest is captive born green tree pythons and emerald tree boas. Rico is a very interesting speaker and great photographer. One of his photographs is featured on the Symposium t-shirt.

Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles will be speaking on corn snakes. He is the author of the new book "Corn Snakes in Captivity" and has been producing corn snakes and other colubrids for over 30 years. He and his wife Tammie operated a reptile pet store in Wichita, Kansas, for many years but have moved his operation to Texas. You can find out more about him at www.cornsnake.net.

FRIDAY NIGHT HOSPITALITY/ICE BREAKER WITH SPEAKER

There will be a Friday night hospitality meeting & greeting time with horsdevours served beginning at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 9. A free keg of beer and cash bar will also be available at this time. Jeff LeClere will give a great talk to get the attendees prepared for the conference on Saturday.

CONFERENCE T-SHIRTS

Special t-shirts will be available for purchase celebrating the 23rd Midwest Herpetological Symposium featuring a photograph by Rico Walder of a green tree python in a unique color variant. Shirts will be available in black and also an additional color (tan or light blue) to be determined. Cost of the shirts is $15 and they will be available in sizes small to 3 extra large. Be sure to preorder your shirts with your registration to make sure you get the sizes and colors you want. These are truly remarkable shirts and you will want more than one!

BANQUET AND AUCTION

There will be a banquet Saturday night (cost $30; $35 after October 19) followed by a talk by Dave Barker on some of his adventures. Following Dave's talk will be an auction of herp related items donated by vendors and others. Be sure to bring lots of money for the auction and remember we can take credit cards as well.

Registration will be available from 3PM on Friday afternoon, November 9 through 7:30 PM in front of the meeting room off the lobby of the motel. Packets can be picked up Saturday morning from 7 AM until the beginning of the conference at 8:30 AM.

Our great list of speakers will make this a memorable conference. Don’t miss out – be sure to register early and get the early registration price of $65 for adults and $30 for students with copy of student ID. After October 19 the price is $75 for adults and $35 for students.

LOCATION

HOLIDAY INN NORTHWEST
4800 Merle Hay Road
Des Moines, IA 50322
515-278-4755

Rooms in the Iowa Herpetological Society block are available at a cost of $82 (single or double) direct from the hotel by calling 515-278-4755. After October 19 rooms are available on a space-available basis. The Holiday Inn Northwest is located at 4800 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. Take the Merle Hay exit off of Interstate 35 and go south. The motel is on the right hand side of the road. Parking is available behind the motel.

REGISTRATION FORM

For more information, see the Iowa Herpetological Society web site www.iaherp.org or contact any of the society officers listed.

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