Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We need to decide what format we want to keep the Alterna Page
in. Currently the format includes features such as Alterna of the Month and Recommended Breeders which require someone to monitor
and maintain it on a regular basis. Other material such as
the gallery and the documents are fairly static and require
little maintenance. If we eliminated the features that require
regular maintenance, the page itself would never be out of date
but would certainly be less exciting.

Please tell us what your thoughts are.
The Alterna Page

Jeff,

If I were managing the site and had to pay someone to keep the alterna page updated it would be hard to justify. I hate to say it but Alterna just doesn't have the popularity they once had, further evidenced by the response to this post.

As far as the "reccamended breeders" I'm curious how many of the breeders listed are still even working with the locales listed? I personally have discontinued working with all but a group of 277 animals which aren't listed.

I've spent a lot of time on the alterna page since it's inception and have benifited from it greatly. I would hate to see the alterna of the month pics go and/or the reccamended breeders list dropped but would understand it if you did.

Tad

Don't change a thing. As for the lack of response Tad, maybe many people have not yet seen the post. Jeff, don't change anything if you can help it. Do not make it "less exciting". There are plenty of us out here that are still very much into Alterna. It's not about money, it's about the pure enjoyment. Do what you need to do though. Just wanted to give my input.

Wayne H. (www.snakeworld.com)

I would also like to see it stay as it is. However, I recently went to web sites or emailed several of the breeders on the list and found that the web sites were no longer there or the email addresses were not valid. Maye some of us could volunteer to help update it.
I still see post from new people on a regular basis and I still use Kingsnakes resources. I would hate to see it change.
Let me know if I can help.
Rick

Jeff,
If possible, please leave the alterna pages up, perhaps alterna of the months, could start being updated, I am sure you would receive plenty of submissions for photos if a notice for requests for alterna of the month photos are posted on the alterna forum here. Its quite apparent, just looking at the counter on the alterna page that both it and this forum receives alot of readers, even if there are not alotta posts, people do frequent these sites alot, because the interest in alterna & the desert they inhabit still do & will always be in many herpers hearts. Like Wayne said, there are plenty of people who still have great interest in alterna, as well as the Chihuahuan Desert & for most, its not at all about money, but appreciation of that so unique area that people visit year after year after year. The feelings so many of us have for West Texas goes beyond words, we live and work our lives in far away places from there, but think of the area constantly, care about the people dearly that do live in West Texas, care & hope the desert can handle the changes that humans place on it, care about all the wildlife and on and on.. Many friends, myself included have a vested interest in West Texas, through buying homes & land there, shows the care we all place of the best place in the world to experiance the desert, West Texas. Now, more than ever, we hope the alterna page remains a permanent site & icon of what started it all for you as well Jeff...... John F.

Well stated Johnny boy. I concur 100%.

DB

jeff, as i am new to the forum and am almost coputer illiterate, i can only offer you this... when i first discovered this page i was in awe of all the knowledgeable people out there and the descriptions of a land only passed through that one could actually find rare treats such as graybands and subocs, etc. i have yet to travel there specifically for g.b.'s but have made my plans to do so because of the alterna page and the g.b. forum. i'm even taking my scout troop to the area next year as we had an excellant time at kickapoo caverns state park. many new west texas lovers were made there and it was directly attributed to info gained from the alterna page. please update the alterna of the month page and the recommended breeder's page as that is where i would prefer to find my starting alternas.(but i will catch one or two next year!!!)the info i've garnered and the absolute beauty of the pics have stirred my soul to become one of the few, the proud , the w.c. alterna owner!!!
todd hughes, corpus christi, tx.

jeff,
i've been keepin' "BLAIRS" since '73...i got one from hank molt....i've had an incurable case of "MEXICANA FEVER" ever since....i've only missed 3 "ALTERNA" seasons since '76....that page is just a work of true ART!!!!!!.....i can recall every "GRAYBAND" that i've seen, ....in '77 the first clutch of eggs, from the trio i got from lee box, then they hatched!!.....roadcruisin', spotlightin' ,walkin', runnin' from sancez,.....climbin' rock cuts in the pitch black(100LBS ago), all the quality individuals i've been befriended by...is that sutton county girl still considered a find, she seems to have gotten lost in the dust.....i've been chasin' these snakes for 30 years...but i think the truth of the matter is ....they been chasin' me!!!!!!!!!!
KEEP THE PAGE

AMEN!!!!!

Great post!! I too have been at it since the late 70's and still love it. We're all chasin' each other and thank the powers that be for that!!! What a lucky bunch we alterna folk are: lucky for each other, for the beautiful and interesting snakes we obsess about, for the great places we get to go to hunt and for all things alterna in general!!

Jeff, I hope you can keep it going. I posted a little bit below about how lucky we are for our combined focused intertest. The alterna page is still visited. I hope you can keep it going.

I am watching the next generation get hooked right now!! Rick G. knows about this too, as he helped influence my boy (although I am not sure ALL of his influence is so good. LOL!!!!). Kids are getting into it. My 16 y/o now has 8 and will sit in the truck for hours and hours without seeing anything just knowing the possibility of getting a new alterna exists. He has never complained once cause he flat just loves the whole experience!! He is a computer guru, and the alterna page has helped focus that interest. I wish you well in your decision and thank you for your efforts. The alterna page is awesome.

Good to see some posts, it was upsetting to see Jeff's post seeminging going unnoticed. I was hoping to ruffle some feathers and get some grey-band folks to come out of the woodwork, looks like it worked.

I too would love to see the grey-band page remain unchanged, except of course for updates in the areas in question. As I said previously if I had to pay someone to monitor and make these updates I would understand if a decsion was made to change the format.

The question remains is Jeff willing to pay someone to do this? I sure would like it Jeff if you did but as stated previously would understand if you changed the format so it's not required. Maybe some grey-band keepers would be willing to donate their time to help out? I know I would, but is this really workable?

For the record, grey-bands "rock" and will always be one of my favorites no matter what their popularity or market value is.

Tad
702-279-2155

which is it??????????

Either will work. With the "e", is the British spelling, but I guess it's up to personal preference.
-----
"I may be crazy, but ya know... I can rationalize just about anything."

Bob,

Good observation, just checked my web site and noticed I have it spelled grey there as well. Gray is the accepted word in the states, I think what happened is my spell checker is correcting it to grey. Probobly been that way for 10 years, going to correct it.

And Bob since your that good at noticing details I nominate you as one of the moderators for the gray-band page, any one second it? Just joking Bob, thx for noticing that.
Tad

I would love to see the Alterna page updated and maintained. I became interested in alterna about 6 years ago, and that page sparked my interests quite a bit. Who maintains it now, and who maintained it in the past?

If there is anything I can do to help out, shot me an email.

Tom Anderson

I am all for keeping the alterna page. I have only been hunting alterna since 1999 but the alterna page was the first webpage I ever bookmarked. I would visit this page weekly planning my trips out west. I love everything about alterna culture from the hunting, the landscape, the food out west, the people, the quiet nights walking a cut. The webpage is still used and as it was stated a couple of posts befor me, there are still young upcomming herpers that still find alterna hunting a real adventure and the alterna page is a main influence. If i would change anything it would be more pics, update the range and county page, update the breeders list, and maby add a page that touched on the topic of the law and ethics. Just my two cents, Shane D.

P.S. While were are on the subject of webpages what about the Mountain Kingsnake Page. This was the second webpage I ever bookmarked. I have looked through the entire page countless times and would love to see it updated.

I agree with most of the comments that have already been made. I check this forum almost daily and have been quite disappointed with the amount of activity the last couple of years. I have also noticed how few collectors that I have been encountering the last few years. I do enjoy having areas "all to myself" but I also miss hanging out on the side of the road and swapping stories. I don't stay in touch with all my herping buds the way I used to and am a bit out of the loop. I try to stay somewhat caught up with this forum. I would also check out the alternapage quite often. I loved the "alterna of the month" feature and used to submit photos quite a bit during the early years. I guess that I am as guilty as anyone else in that I just quit putting out the effort. If there is any way that I can help keep this thing going, let me know. I, like most people have a limited amount of time, but would like to be able to help when I can. I have lots of pics (many of somewhat unusual localities) and would be willing to share.

in anyway or form ? I know that about 75 percent of the breeders are out of date or something. I mean when you click on the names it comes up page not found or not up-dated. If this forum page IS sponsered by the names. I can see it going south and i don't mean South West Texas either ! LOL !

Thanks Jeff, for creating the page to begin with. I remember in the mid 90s when the page first started. Lots of ups and downs... Also a thanks for considering everyone's opinion. It is appreciated.

My honest opinion is to leave the page as is. However, I completely understand if you need to take down the alterna of the month or recommended breeders.

The page has always been a central location for information and an excellent starting point for all those that love the animals.

Thanks again,

Steven Owens

I really enjoy the alterna page and I hope that it remains the same. There are a lot of us that don't post much but check the page frequently and the forum daily. I can't wait to get back to the promised land, but for now all i can do is re-read the alterna pages over and over.

vadoni