Recently a local outdoors expert spent a little time with biologists and conservation officers in Pennsylvania for a training session on timber rattlesnakes and he came back with a little different perspective on the animals. Spurred by memories of a childhood show on native rattlesnakes from "Pennsylvania Outdoor Life" on his local TV station that he watched with his father, he hooked up with the host after retirement to relive one of the episodes visiting a local forest to count, tag and also train conservation officers in handling and identification skills.

The truth about rattlesnakes, I learned, is that these are normally docile animals that just want to be left alone. But they get feisty when disturbed and manhandled.

It's a nice light read where you see someone understand why we love these animals. You feel fear turn to respect. There are some wonderful photos of the training sessions as well.

One of the hardest parts of saving our venomous snakes is overcoming the stimgas and fears that people have with them. Stories like this go far to helping that! Check the full article out here!

This month the Milwaukee Public Museum is offering a reptile themed "Science On Tap" lecture and it is available online as well as in person! Being Milwaukee everything has drinks, so why not a museum lecture! For those joining in person, there is a pre-lecture social hour with apps and taps, and knowing herpers, this might be their last time they let us drink.

This month features Joshua M. Kapfer, PhD and his topic is "Amphibian and Reptile Conservation in Wisconsin". From the MPM"

Joshua M. Kapfer has lived most of his life in Wisconsin. He earned his BS and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse in Biology and Aquatic Science. His Master’s research focused on the survival of amphibian larvae in agricultural ponds. Josh went on to earn a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in Ecology and Evolution. His doctoral research investigated numerous aspects of gophersnake ecology and conservation in Sauk County. After earning his doctoral degree, Josh worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, NRC Environmental Consulting (now Stantec), and Elon University in North Carolina. Since 2011, Josh has been with the biology department at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater as a professor and wildlife biologist, where he teaches various lecture- and field-based ecology courses and conducts research with undergraduate students. He is broadly interested in vertebrate ecology and conservation, with more than 35 peer-reviewed publications. He is also a co-editor and author on the book Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin. He currently lives in Walworth County with his family.

To sign up, click here. Ill be in the virtual crowd! See ya there!