This was sent out by the THS today. Am emailing a copy to regional herp society officers for which I have emails (they need to get a similar letter out if they haven't already done so), but if I miss one, let me know. If you're a member of a regional herp society, and have your officer's emails, send them to me: alterna2627(AT)swtexas(DOT)net
Troy Hibbitts
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Travis LaDuc Gad Perry
President President Elect
Toby Hibbitts Vernon Dye
Vice President Editor
Johnny Binder David Haynes
Louise Hayes-Odum Secretary/Treasurer
Dominic Lannutti 1810 W. Mulberry
Board Members San Antonio, TX 78201
13 April 2007
The Honorable XXX
XXX, House Committee on Culture, Recreation, & Tourism
Dear Representative XXX,
I am writing to you to voice my strong reservations to HB 2414, introduced by Representative Isett and designed to amend the Parks and Wildlife Code relating to hunting from public roads and rights-of-way. I have no objection to the bill’s initial intent, originally written to clarify the description of public road or right-of-way; however, I am particularly concerned with the amended text of the bill that broadens the subject of hunting on public roads from “game animal, wild fowl, or bird” to “wild animal or bird”. If this bill is passed, I am concerned that the amended phrase of “wild animal” will negatively impact educational and research collections of reptiles and amphibians in our state, and thus prevent the collection of information integral to our wise management of Texas resources.
With my experience as a curator at a natural history museum, coupled with 15 years of firsthand knowledge with reptile and amphibian populations around Texas, I can tell you that much of what we know about the distribution of reptiles and amphibians in this state is based on museum voucher specimens collected from public roads and rights-of-way over the past 40-50 years. Because over 98% of the land in Texas is private and access to these lands is generally restricted, public roads and rights-of-way provide both the public and scientists the opportunity to actually observe and/or capture reptiles and amphibians in our state. Driving along on public roads, especially at night, is a well-documented and effective method for finding such animals. In certain locations in West Texas, observers will walk rights-of-way at night with flashlights to illuminate rockcuts to their efforts to find reptile and amphibian species. Deposition of collected animals into natural history museums provide important and tangible voucher material documenting the existence, in both time and space, of a particular species in our state. Even the collection of road-killed animals is an important source of voucher material – a properly preserved road-killed snake or turtle can provide a wealth of important natural history information such as a species’ diet (found in stomach contents) or reproductive condition. Although a single observation may not be particularly noteworthy, the collective sum of these observations and voucher specimens help us trace changes and patterns in species distributions, changes that may be exacerbated by human-caused habitat alterations or even global climate change. With the passage of this bill, we will lose an important source of scientific knowledge crucial to effective monitoring and management of reptile and amphibian populations in Texas.
Scientists are not the only contributors of important natural history information. The public continues to become more involved in reporting their observations and findings and adding to our collective knowledge and education about Texas wildlife. Many non-professional herpetologists regularly donate important specimens found along public roads to natural history museum collections. Additionally, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Nature Trackers programs encourage citizen scientists to report their observations in successful monitoring programs like Texas Amphibian Watch, Texas Horned Lizard Watch, and Box Turtle Survey Project. All of these projects incorporate citizen observations made while along Texas public roads and rights-of-way. The success of these programs has proven the importance of observations from both the layperson and the scientist, but their success would be in jeopardy with the passage of this bill.
With the passage of this bill, the act of driving down the roadway, stopping safely off the road, and picking up a snake or toad (even if dead) will be illegal. Lacking the capacity to make continuous and repeated observations through the collection of educational and research material along public roads and rights-of-way, we will reduce our ability to properly document future changes in species distributions or to make solid management decisions for many reptile and amphibian species. I believe clarification in the wording of this proposed legislation will go a long way towards allowing Texans the competence to properly monitor, protect, and enjoy our native reptiles and amphibians. Future generations of Texans deserve our commitment towards managing and conserving our state’s diverse wildlife – to lose any of our ability to accurately oversee our natural heritage would be a disservice.
Thank you for your attention to this bill and to your work on the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. If you have questions or wish further clarification, I can be reached via phone (512-565-4554) or by email (caudisona(AT)gmail(DOT)com) at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Travis J. LaDuc, Ph.D.
President, Texas Herpetological Society
4308 Tamarack Trail
Austin, TX 78727
512-565-4554
caudisona(AT)gmail(DOT)com
