February 2012
volume 27, issue 2
Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society Inside this issue: Upcoming Events…… 2 General information…….
3
Letter from the President……………….. 4 Leaping Lizards & Dinosaurs Inspire Robot Design...…...…. 6 Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
9
Next Meeting: February 12, 2012 Meeting Location: Highline Community College
Board Meeting 4 p.m.
2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA
General Meeting: 6 p.m.
Speaker Presentation: Jerry Novak of Pacific Northwest Turtleworks will be speaking about the “Western Pond Turtle Project.”
Classifieds……………….. 10
Contacts & Vets……. 11
Membership Application
PNHS:
Come hear a fascinating presentation!
12
March PNHS Newsletter Deadline: Feb. 29, 2012
Above: Jerry Novak speaking. Photo courtesy of The Seattle Turtle & Tortoise Club.
February is “American Heart Month” For more information, go to: www.Heart.org. The American Heart Association will be participating in the upcoming ECRE 2012.
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Upcoming PNHS Events Pa g e 2 February 07, 2012:
PNHS Outreach, Location: Wallingford, WA Make-up due to snow: Science night at Wallingford Elementary Contact VP/Outreach Coordinator to participate.
February 10, 2012:
PNHS Outreach, Location: Edmonds, WA Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Set-up after 5 p.m. Contact VP/Outreach Coordinator to participate.
February 12, 2012:
PNHS Regular Meeting Herp-of-the-Month: “ Chelonians ” ( T urtles, Tortoises & Terrapins) Speaker: Jerry Novak of Pacific Northwest Turtleworks Topic: The Western Pond Turtlwe Project
March 3, 2012:
Leap Year Event at Woodland Park Zoo “ L eaping Ahead of Extinction: A celebration of good news for amphibi ans in 2012, ” sponsored by the Amphibian Ark. For more information, go to www.LeapDay2012.org or www.zoo.org .
March 11, 2012:
PNHS Regular Meeting Herp-of-the-Month: “ Green-colored herps ” Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka of Kamaka Exotic Animal Veterinary Ser vices, Topic: Lizard Dilemmas in Captivity
Save The Date! June 2nd—3rd, 2012
Emerald City Reptile Expo Seattle Center Exhibition Hall
Come be a part of our biggest show ever!
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General information & guidelines re
PNHS’ Monthly Meetings are a great place to learn something new, purchase feeders at a discount, and meet new people
General Information The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS) is a non-profit organization registered with the State of Washington. PNHS is dedicated to the education of its members and the public, as well as the conservation, ecology, and captive care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians. The society also takes an active role in legislative and environmental issues affecting these animals and their habitats. Meeting Information PNHS holds its general meeting on the third Sunday of every month (with exceptions for holidays) at 6:00pm at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Building 12 Room 101. The Board meeting begins at 4:00pm. Doors open at 5:30. Other business and socialization occurs between 5:30 and 6; then the General Meeting starts. Meetings are open to the public, and the society encourages anyone with an interest in herpetology to attend. Please purchase a membership to show your support for the society. Animal Donations Looking to adopt, release an animal or donate cages and equipment? Please contact the Adoptions Committee by email at adoptions@pnwhs.org, or by voicemail at 206- 583-0686. We will contact you and make arrangements. Other Donations The Adoption Committee receives minimal financial support from the Society, so donations of money, food, cages, and equipment are always needed and appreciated. Please contact the Adoption Chair to make a donation. Adoptions To adopt an animal that is in the care of the Committee, you must be present at the meeting, be a current member (of at least one month), and be over 18 years of age or have parental consent. For more details see the web site or contact the Adoption Chair. Newsletter Information A monthly newsletter absorbs the lion’s share of the price of a PNHS membership. In order to keep it interesting, we encourage contribution of original articles, book reviews, letters, ads, and cartoons for publication. Items for incorporation into articles are also welcome, though with no guarantee of their use. Submissions may be sent to the Newsletter Committee or to the Society through the contacts listed on the following page.
Above: Both Green Tree Python Photos courtesy of the Adams’ Family.
Editorial Policy The views expressed in this publication are solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the Society, its members, or the Newsletter Committee. The Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit all submissions including advertisements.
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Letter from the President By Brenda Huber
Vol. 27, No.2
The Hot Seat Question Our family has been actively volunteering and involved with PNHS for over ten years. A chance meeting with my childhood hero two years ago, however, forever changed the way I view “involvement.” I was about 6 years old when I first saw Joan Embery on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She was showing Johnny some amazing creatures (I believe it was the episode when the pygmy marmoset “marks” Johnny Carson’s head.) I remember thinking to myself, “That’s who I want to be when I grow up.” However, I dared not speak of it aloud in my family. Animals, according to my mother, were either: 1) food, or 2) vermin (not food.) A career in animals was unacceptable and beyond comprehension. Fast-forward to 2010: a postcard from Woodland Park Zoo advertising an event with special guest Joan Embery arrived nonchalantly in my mailbox. I literally jumped.
Somehow, I managed to contain myself… - B.Huber
How does one maintain composure in the presence of a childhood hero? Somehow, I managed to contain myself. Upon meeting Joan Embery, I told her that she was an inspiration. I thought she’d just respond with a “Thank you,” and move down the line to the next person. Instead, she turned her head and said, “Oh really? What have you done?”
The Hot Seat Question: What have you done?
Luckily I have plenty of Hot Seat experience, and was able to immediate respond by rattling off all that we do in PNHS, emphasizing our primary mission of education and outreach in the community, and our participation in “Science Nights” at elementary and middle schools all over the Pacific Northwest. Joan replied politely, “Oh wonderful,” and then continued on to the next person. However, her blunt “What have you done?” question remained in my head. Her emphasis on “action” remains with me. I feel compelled to “do” even more. Continued...
Vol. 27, No. 2
Pa g e 5 Letter From The President Continued….
So this year, as I begin my presidency and PNHS heads into its 47th year, I put this question out to our membership:
Do you have an answer to the hot seat question? If you are ready to make a difference, join us, and just “do.” PNHS welcomes everyone and has programs available for everyone. Whether your interests lie in participating in our outreach program, fostering in our rescue program, participating in our Emerald City Reptile Expo, or just in making friends and furthering your herp knowledge with our informative monthly lectures, we have an activity just right for you. You are most welcome.
Brenda Huber PNHS President
Above: Joan Embery and Brenda Huber at Woodland Park Zoo’s Thrive! event, March 2010. Photo courtesy of B. Huber.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
Vol. 27, No. 2
Leaping Lizards and Dinosaurs Inspire Robot design By Science Daily, Jan. 4, 2012 Reprinted with permission from HerpDigest.org; Vol.12 No.4, Dated 1/19/12
Leaping lizards have a message for robots: Get a tail!
University of California, Berkeley, biologists and engineers -- including undergraduate and graduate students -- studied how lizards manage to leap successfully even when they slip and stumble. They found that lizards swing their tails upward to prevent them from pitching head-over-heels into a rock. But after the team added a tail to a robotic car named “Tailbot,” they discovered that counteracting the effect of a slip is not as simple as throwing your tail in the air. Instead, robots and lizards must actively adjust the angle of their tails just right to remain upright. "We showed for the first time that lizards swing their tail up or down to counteract the rotation of their body, keeping them stable," said team leader Robert J. Full, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology. "Inspiration from lizard tails will likely lead to far more agile search-and-rescue robots, as well as ones having greater capability to more rapidly detect chemical, biological or nuclear hazards." Agile therapod dinosaurs like the velociraptor depicted in the movie Jurassic Park may also have used their tails as stabilizers to prevent forward pitch, Full said. Their tail movement is illustrated in a prescient chase sequence from the 1993 movie in which the animated animal leaps from a balcony onto a T. rex skeleton.
“Inspiration from lizard tails will likely lead to far more agile searchand-rescue robots…”
- Robert J. Full, Professor, UC Berkeley
"Muscles willing, the dinosaur could be even more effective with a swing of its tail in controlling body attitude than the lizards," Full said. Full and his laboratory colleagues, including both engineering and biology students, will report their discoveries online on Jan. 5 in advance of publication in the Jan. 12 print edition of the journal Nature. The paper's first author, mechanical engineering graduate student Thomas Libby, also will report the results on Jan. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Charleston, S.C.
Full is enthusiastic about the interplay fostered at UC Berkeley between biologists and engineers in the Center for Interdisciplinary Bio-inspiration in Education and Research (CiBER) lab, within which he offers a research-based teaching lab that provides dozens of undergraduate students with an opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in teams with Continued...
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Leaping Lizards, continued... graduate students. Each team experiences the benefits of how biologists and engineers approach a problem. "Learning in the context of original discovery, finding out something that no one has ever know before, really motivated me," said former UC Berkeley integrative biology undergraduate Talia Moore, now a graduate student in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. "This research-based lab course showed me how biologists and engineers can work together to benefit both fields." "This paper shows that research-based teaching leads to better learning and simultaneously can lead to cutting-edge research," added Full, who last year briefed the U.S. House of Representative's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Caucus on this topic. "It also shows the competitive advantage of interdisciplinary approaches and how involvement of undergraduates in research can lead to innovation." Full's research over the past 20 years has revealed how the toe hairs of geckos assist them in climbing smooth vertical surfaces and, more recently, how their tails help to keep them from falling when they slip and to right themselves in mid-air. The new research tested a 40-year-old hypothesis that the two-legged theropod dinosaurs; the ancestors of birds; used their tails as stabilizers while running or dodging obstacles or predators. In Full's teaching laboratory, students noticed a lizard's recovery after slipping during a leap and thought a study of stumbling would be a perfect way to test the value of a tail. In the CiBER lab, Full and six of his students used high-speed videography and motion capture to record how a red-headed African Agama lizard handled leaps from a platform with different degrees of traction, from slippery to easily-gripped. They coaxed the lizards to run down a track, vault off a low platform and land on a vertical surface with a shelter on top. When the friction on the platform was reduced, lizards slipped, causing their bodies to potentially spin out of control. When the researchers saw how the lizard used its tail to counteract the spin, they created a mathematical model as well as Tailbot -- a toy car equipped with a tail and small gyroscope to sense body position; to better understand the animal's skills. With a tail but no feedback from sensors about body position, Tailbot took a nose dive when driven off a ramp, mimicking a lizard's take-off. When body position was sensed and fed back to the tail motor, however, Tailbot Continued...
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Leaping Lizards, Continued... was able to stabilize its body in midair. The actively controlled tail effectively redirected the angular momentum of the body into the tail's swing, as happens with leaping lizards, Full said. Tailbot's design pushed the boundaries of control in robotics in an area researchers call inertial assisted robotics, an attention-grabber at last October's meeting of the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. The UC Berkeley researchers' paper, presented by Libby and fellow mechanical engineering graduate student Evan Chang-Siu, was one of five finalists there among more than 2,000 robot studies. "Engineers quickly understood the value of a tail," Libby said, noting that when he dropped Tailbot nose-down, it was able to right itself before it had dropped a foot. "Robots are not nearly as agile as animals, so anything that can make a robot more stable is an advancement, which is why this work is so exciting." Full and his students are now investigating the role of the tail in controlling pitch, roll and yaw while running. UC Berkeley coauthors include Full and students Moore, Libby and Chang-Siu, along with Department of Integrative Biology undergraduate Deborah Li and graduate students Ardian Jusufi in the Department of Integrative Biology and Daniel Cohen in the Department of Bioengineering. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation, including the NSF's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program, and the Micro Autonomous Systems Technologies (MAST) consortium, a large group of researchers funded in part by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory that is focused on creating autonomous sensing robots. L and R: The velociraptors from the 1994 film, “Jurassic Park.� Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
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Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting The regular meeting of the Board of Directors for the Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society convened on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. at Highline Community College. This date was a make-up for the originally scheduled January 15 th, 2012, the previous Sunday, which was cancelled due to snow. Present were 2011 President Aimee Kenoyer, 2012 President Brenda Huber, 2011/2012 Treasurer Dale Drexler, 2012 Membership Secretary Geoff Sweet, and 2012 Members-At-Large David Brunelle, Carol Dean, and Matt Lee. There were no Minutes from the previous meeting. Since neither the 2011 Secretary nor the 2012 Secretary were present, Brenda agreed to take notes. The meeting was called to order at 4:22 p.m. by Aimee. General Business: 1.
Since a Board of Directors “Quorum” was not present, Geoff suggested to “cue-up” all old business in order to vote at the next Board Meeting.
2.
Branch vs. Charter for Kitsap: Geoff had sent around information regarding this topic. David asked why we are interested in setting up something. Aimee responded that the topic has come up in the past since she’s been involved with PNHS (6 years.) According to Troy, 15 people are actively involved, wanting to do outreaches, with oversight by us. Geoff stated that since they are PNHS members, they must participate using our Bylaws, etc. They maintain leadership, extend them autonomy, but not damaging our good name. There has been a slow rise of interest regarding this topic over the years. Aimee stated that even if it was just a couple of people, they still would need to be following our rules. Geoff stated one of the first questions is how to organize leadership within a branch. He suggests a small change in our Constitution to add “Branch Chairperson,” which the Board can vote to create as an Ad Hoc Committee leader, and then that person is liaison to the main Board. Also add a stanza for Branches that includes how a Branch is responsible to us and how their leadership is established. PNHS recognizes branches of 5 people. If they grow bigger, we can re-visit. Geoff mentioned that the “Lion’s Club” does an excellent job of defining Branch vs. Charter.
3.
Aimee brought up changing the verbage around the venomous language. The goal is build clear and concise policies for the group, not whittling away at minutia. Carol asked why, and Geoff responded with the following: Venom weeds out stupid real quick… Many years ago there were some issues, and there were people who were adamantly against venomous herps, and people that were equally passionate but acceptance of people who own venomous animals. People have expressed feeling “discriminated” when mentioning venomous herps. The line, as with the laws in WA State, is unclear. We’d like to advocate responsible herp ownership, whether they are venomous or not. It was decided to put it to a vote since the language will have to be changed in the Bylaws. Dale moved to table it until the next meeting. Language changes would have to be presented at the next general meeting, and also go out in the Newsletter for comment and vote.
4.
Aimee will bring info (the Bylaws files) on a datastick.
5.
The role of volunteers at the ECRE was discussed. Geoff brought up assigning people to blocks of time. If you are in a shirt, you are working. Dave mentioned that there needs to be guidance, directon, and ownership towards the volunteers. Geoff said that either you’re a volunteer, or you’re a vendor, or a paid entry. One vendor did mention that they had a problem getting “shirt people” to do something for them. We want to make the necessary changes to ensure that our vendors are completely taken care of at the ECRE. We will assign one person solely to the Vendors, to go by each booth at least once an hour. Geoff suggested there also needed to be clarifications on volunteer hierarchy, perhaps sergeants or something along those lines. Brenda asked and Geoff accepted to take the “Volunteer Coordinator” position for the ECRE 2012.
6.
Discussed ECRE website. David was going to talk to Capitol Media to see if they would do the website. David mentioned there is perceived quality with online presence.
President-Elect’s Report: Brenda reported that the ECRE’s “Conservation & Education” section is already booked with attendees, including all major zoos in the Seattle area. Registrations will be sent out to all attendees in the next few weeks. Old Business: Geoff mentioned to take a look at the constitution stanza. If anyone has any changes, or proposed changes, please let us know. The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
Classifieds
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PNHS would like to thank “Animal Talk Pet Shop” & “Animal Talk Rescue” for their generous donations of feeders for our foster animals!
Are you a Fluffy Foster? Kitten season is upon us & Animal Talk Rescue is urgently looking for foster homes for kitten(s). A full-line pet
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Join the Global Gecko Association Today! The GGA is a six year old international organization dedicated to the needs of all people interested in geckos. Members receive the twice-yearly, full-color journal, “Gekko”, plus “Chit-Chat”, our quarterly newsletter. Annual Membership is $32 US, $34 Canada/Mexico, $36 Overseas. Email: ElizabethFreer@aol.com (503)-436-1064 or www.gekkota.com
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Bean Farm’s Creative Habitats Slide-Top Aquariums
I have superworms, giant mealworms, and lots more! Plus, I now carry frozen rodents.
Various sizes available.
Order in advance: special pricing for PNHS members,,as well as quantity discounts!
We can deliver the cages to the meetings, as well as any other item from the Bean Farm catalogue.
For pick up and PNHS meeting delivery.
Please contact us by the Friday before the meeting in order for items to be delivered. Thank you!
Jennifer Sronce (425) 750-0477
Paula & Giovani Fagioli (877) 708-5882
www.seattlefeeders@gmail.com
Email: beanfarm@beanfarm.com www.beanfarm.com
Advertise in the PNHS Newsletter! Business Card .............................$5 Quarter Page................................$10 Half Page ....................................$15 Full Page .....................................$25 If you would like to place an ad in the PNHS newsletter, please contact: newsletter.editor@pnwhs.org GET PUBLICITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS & SUPPORTING PNHS!
Vol. 27, No. 2
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Contact Information PNHS P.O. Box 27542
Adoptions:206-583-0686
Seattle, WA 98165
Email: contactus@pnwhs.org
www.pnwhs.org
General information: 206-628-4740
Area Representatives N King & Snohomish
Brenda Huber 206-334-7168
brenda.huber@pnwhs.org
S King & Pierce
Dale Drexler
dale.drexler@yahoo.com
Greater Seattle
Aimee Kenoyer 206-200-1240
Peninsula, Island
Troy Barnhatt
Oregon
Elizabeth Freer 503-436-1064
253-606-4328
aimee.kenoyer@pnwhs.org elizabethfreer@aol.com
Officers for 2012 President
Brenda Huber
brenda.huber@pnwhs.org
Vice President
Brandon Winter
brandon.winter@pnwhs.org
President-Elect
Rachel Shirk
rachel.shirk@pnwhs.org
Treasurer
Dale Drexler
dale.drexler@pnwhs.org
Secretary
Teresa Montoya
secretary@pnwhs.org
Membership Secretary Geoff Sweet
members@pnwhs.org
Members-At-Large
Ted Adams
ted.adams@pnwhs.org
David Brunnelle Carol Dean
david.brunnelle@pnwhs.org carol.dean@pnwhs.org
Matt Lee
matt.lee@pnwhs.org
Julie Sharkey
julie.sharkey@pnwhs.org
Adoptions Coordinator Rachel Shirk
adoptions@pnwhs.org
Event Coordinator
Norm Hill
norm.hill@pnwhs.org
Newsletter Editor
Marian Huber
newsletter@pnwhs.org
Webmaster
Geoff Sweet
webmaster@pnwhs.org
Find us on FACEBOOK!
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To join PNHS, please print & complete the following application, enclose your yearly or multi-yearly membership fee and return to: PNHS Membership Secretary P.O. Box 27542 Seattle, WA 98165 Membership applications and fees may also be received at the monthly meetings by the Membership Secretary. With your yearly or multi-year membership fee you will receive the monthly PNHS E-Newsletter, access to membership pricing for adoption animals, and the opportunity to participate in the many outreaches and special “Members Only” events held throughout the year.
Please select one of the options below:
Please select your preferred membership category: Individual Membership (One person)
Family Membership (1-2 parents + Children)
Institutional Membership (Institutions/Organizations)
Correspondence Membership (E-Newsletter Only)
Above: Kids are intent on everything Board Member Geoff Sweet has to say at an outreach in Duvall, 2005.
Please select the format in which you would like to receive your newsletter: Today’s Date: ___________________________________________________________ Name(s) (please print clearly): ______________________________________________ Parent or Guardian (if member is a minor): ___________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ______________ Email Address: ________________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________________ Would you be interested in volunteering for PNHS: YES / NO Please make checks payable to PNHS. Thank you! PNHS only: Membership Expiration Date: _______________________ Contacted: ____