Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is a public service announcement.

With Reptile and Amphibian Observation season set to begin in the very near future it is important that I remind each of you that we a civil right to use the roads and right of ways for every single legal purpose.

With regards to Reptiles and Amphibians it is only against the law to "take or attempt to take" from a public road or right of way. You can NOT be harassed or asked to leave an area simply for observing reptiles and amphibians on a public road or right of way.

We are going to be monitoring every single Law Enforcement Officer encounter in detail with the specific purpose of looking for civil rights violations.

Please keep this in mind, and record every single detail of your encounters, ESPECIALLY if you feel you are being harassed, fed misinformation, or if your civil rights are being violated. We will not hesitate to bring justice to an unjust situation.

If you have such an encounter, I would love to hear about it.

Forky
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll be heading out as previously planned. At least not for that first observational trip. I might make it out for June, but doubtful. I'll just have to see how things play out.

I'll have to flip one for you.

what about smitty?
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

is already packin' his photography equipment , bug jars, and a recorder for those game warden encounters......see youse up on dapandale...

I think he's out too, but I'm not sure.

I mentioned the new law to my local TX Master Naturalist chapter, and they had no clue. I told them it was now illegal to move turtles off the road, and they said they've been doing it all along and that the local LE probably would not say anything about it. I was hoping to get certified as a Master Naturalist soon but my schedule is too unpredictable to allow me to attend all the required classes and trips.

>>We are going to be monitoring every single Law Enforcement Officer encounter in detail with the specific purpose of looking for civil rights violations.
>>
>>Please keep this in mind, and record every single detail of your encounters, ESPECIALLY if you feel you are being harassed, fed misinformation, or if your civil rights are being violated. We will not hesitate to bring justice to an unjust situation.
>>
>>If you have such an encounter, I would love to hear about it.

I'm assuming we can videotape our encounters, for our own safety and "quality assurance monitoring?" I've never been stopped by TPWD but it would've been fun to record the conversations with confused Border Patrol types.
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

In my experience, it's the "county and local" that try impose their will and feed you misinformation.
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Herp Conservation Unlimited
Mexicana Group Directory
Photography by Joseph E. Forks
Captive Bred Locality Matched Desert Kingsnakes

The Border Patrol has gotten quite familiar with the sight of herpers on certain roads. How are they gonna react when they see a group of cars out in the middle of the back country? Everybody should be ready to be approached by some very keyed up(and rightfully so) BP agents.

>>The Border Patrol has gotten quite familiar with the sight of herpers on certain roads. How are they gonna react when they see a group of cars out in the middle of the back country? Everybody should be ready to be approached by some very keyed up(and rightfully so) BP agents.

I had BP stop along the highway by my Luna Vista property and watch me flip rocks for about 30 minutes. I waived a few times, but they were across a very large arroyo from me, so I didn't bother to walk over. They eventually lost interest and drove off.

>>I'm assuming we can videotape our encounters, for our own safety and "quality assurance monitoring?" I've never been stopped by TPWD but it would've been fun to record the conversations with confused Border Patrol types.
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>>Chris McMartin
>>www.mcmartinville.com
>>I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

I hate those confused Border Patrol Types...We should record them all and send the tapes to AFHV.
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Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas
Herp Conservation Unlimited