I had begun to establish a venomous herp society( and an antivenom bank was in the plans) here in Pa about a year and a half ago. Due to the constant bickering and lack of respect for the fellow herper I see in the forums, as well as the low ethics and standards that now plague the venomous community, I had all but given up on the plan. A website/domain was purchased and in the initial setup stages ( its still online, although not released to everyone in the forums, we were waiting to get the site into top shape before letting everyone in on it).
I rarely post a comment in the forums, due to the negativity that many individuals seem to thrive on. But I’m also not quite ready to throw in the towel and give up on the idea that we can pull it together, and avoid the eventual all out ban that may be in our future. I have been maintaining a sizable collection for nearly 18 years without escape, bites, or incidents, and I’m not bragging just sharing alittle backround, my wife is known as Sierra to many of you. My vision for the society is nearly identical to the SHHS’s, education, conservation, information sharing, and trying to make some difference in the legislation, keeping it fair and within reason, but also as yet another gathering place for us get together on some type of regular basis and one of the most important goals for this group should be to setup a northeastern antivenom bank, .

What I need to know is how strong is the interest in the northeast for our society? Please post here if your interested and your rough location,( we are from the general Pittsburgh area) so I can get some type of head count and make my final decision to either scrap the idea or to move it forward. I dont wish to waste my time,effort, and money if none is interested. Any additional comments will also be taken into account. Bear in mind the website is under construction and on hold until get I see the general remarks from you folks.Thank you in advance for your time.

Shawn Geiger
Americanvenomous@wmconnect.com
The American Venomous Herpetological Association

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