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ISSN 2330-6025 SWCHR BULLETIN Published Quarterly by the SOUTHWESTERN CENTER for HERPETOLOGICAL RESEARCH (SWCHR) P.O

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ISSN 2330-6025 SWCHR BULLETIN Published Quarterly by the SOUTHWESTERN CENTER for HERPETOLOGICAL RESEARCH (SWCHR) P.O ISSN 2330-6025 SWCHR BULLETIN Published Quarterly by THE SOUTHWESTERN CENTER FOR HERPETOLOGICAL RESEARCH (SWCHR) P.O. Box 624 Seguin TX 78156 www.southwesternherp.com ISSN 2330-6025 OFFICERS 2010-2012 COMMITTEE CHAIRS PRESIDENT COMMITTEE ON COMMON AND Tom Lott SCIENTIFIC NAMES Tom Lott VICE PRESIDENT Todd Hughes RANGE MAP COMMITTEE Tom Lott SECRETARY AWARDS AND GRANTS COMMITTEE Diego Ortiz (vacant) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Gerald Keown Gerald Keown BOARD MEMBERS ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS COMMITTEE Toby Brock Diego Ortiz Riley Campbell NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE Hans Koenig Gerald Keown EDITORIAL STAFF EDUCATION COMMITTEE (vacant) EDITOR Chris McMartin MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Toby Brock TECHNICAL EDITOR Linda Butler CONSERVATION COMMITTEE (vacant) ABOUT SWCHR Originally founded by Gerald Keown in 2007, SWCHR is a Texas non-profit association created under the provisions of the Texas Uniform Unincorporated Non-Profit Association Act, Chapter 252 of the Texas Business Organizations Code, governed by a board of directors and dedicated to promoting education of the Association’s members and the general public relating to the natural history, biology, taxonomy, conservation and preservation needs, field studies, and captive propagation of the herpetofauna indigenous to the American Southwest. SWCHR BULLETIN 1 Fall 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS A Message from the President, Tom Lott . 2 Upcoming Event: Sanderson Snake Days . 3 Summary of July 17, 2011 Board Meeting, Gerald Keown . 4 TPWD Reptile & Amphibian Stamp FAQ, Scott Vaca . .6 Amended Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Pertaining to Reptiles and Amphibians, with Commentary by Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp. 8 An Annotated Checklist of the Snakes of Atascosa County, Texas, Tom Lott . 10 2011 Third Quarter Photographs of the Month . 16 Commentary: I Found a Snake, Diego Ortiz. .18 A CALL FOR PAPERS . .20 THE SWCHR LOGO There are several versions of the SWCHR logo, all featuring the Gray-Banded Kingsnake, Lampropeltis alterna, a widely recognized reptile native to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas as well as adjacent Mexico and New Mexico. JOINING SWCHR For information on becoming a member of SWCHR please visit the SWCHR Membership Page of the SWCHR web site at http://www.southwesternherp.com/join.html. ON THE COVER: Broad-banded Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix lacticinctus, Bell County, TX (Eric Runfeldt) BACKGROUND IMAGE: Elephant Tusk, Big Bend National Park, TX (Chris McMartin) SWCHR BULLETIN 2 Fall 2011 A Message from the President The SWCHR Board of Directors recently held a meeting that resulted in the unanimous adoption of a number of tweaks to our Articles of Association under which we exist as a non-profit organization registered in the State of Texas. Since most of these amendments deal with day-to-day, nuts-and- bolts issues, I’ll only attempt to summarize those that will directly affect most members. The Board voted to prepare and distribute a position paper concerning rattlesnake roundups in our region. Although within the six-state area covered by SWCHR, rattlesnake roundups appear to be almost a uniquely Texan predicament, it is felt their continued existence warrants a response from the organization. Consequently, we are seeking motivated volunteers to contribute to this document. The Board also approved the creation of a standing Conservation Committee, which is hoped will take on the roundup position paper issue as its first charge. Along with the creation of this new committee, the Board approved an additional change in the Ar- ticles of Association, which would relax the qualifications for persons wishing to serve as committee chairmen. Previously only officers and other board members were eligible; as a result of this change, dues-paying Members (i.e., any Member receiving this newsletter) may now serve as committee chair- men (upon appointment by the President). Once a committee chairman is appointed he or she may recruit the membership of his committee from among other SWCHR Members in good standing. A list of standing committees is available on the inside front cover and anyone wishing to chair any committee currently lacking a chairman should contact me or any Board Member via email. Also in that vein, congratulations and thanks are due to Board Member Toby Brock who has self- lessly volunteered to chair the all-important Membership Committee, which is responsible for main- taining and hopefully augmenting the ranks of dues-paying Members, whose contributions support all the activities of the organization. Finally, for anyone who has ideas or suggestions they would like to have considered by the Board of Directors in future meetings, you may contact me or any other Board Member to possibly place your thoughts on the agenda. The more of us who are actively involved, the better SWCHR will be. Happy Herping, SWCHR BULLETIN 3 Fall 2011 Upcoming Event: Sanderson Snake Days The first annual Snake Days of West Texas will be held June 15th -17th 2012 in Sanderson, Texas. The gathering is planned to include live music, field trips, a photo contest, and guest speakers. As part of a fund-raising effort for Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Wildlife Diversity department, there will be raffles, silent auctions, and a swap meet. To further demonstrate the environmental consciousness of the herping community, there will be a highway cleanup project and a contest to see who can bring in the most cans for recycling. Voluntters to assist with the event and donations of items for auction/raffle are appreciated. For additional information contact Jeff Adams at (210) 823-8672 or [email protected], or visit http://www.snakedays.com. This collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) was photographed in Santa Fe County, New Mexico by Technical Editor Linda Butler while its burrow was unfortunately being destroyed by a bulldozer at a construction site. SWCHR BULLETIN 4 Fall 2011 Summary of July 17, 2011 Board Meeting By Gerald Keown, August 31, 2011 The SWCHR Board of Directors met in a regular session on July 17, 2011. After the routine ap- proval of minutes from the prior meeting, the remainder of the meeting dealt with the adoption and approval of 13 various amendments to the SWCHR Articles of Association. The majority of the amendments made to the Articles of Association involved housekeeping issues that were in need of clarification and to provide the Association with more flexibility in our operations. Below is a brief summary of the amendments that were approved and adopted at this board meeting. Article III was amended to allow the Board authority to move the principal office of the SWCHR to another location either within Texas or outside of Texas as the affairs of the Association may require. Article VII was amended to clarify that when dues are paid to renew a membership that the effective date of the renewal shall be the date that the expiring membership ends as opposed to the date that the payment is received by the association. This ensures that the member does not lose days from an expiring membership when he or she renews early. Article IX, Section 1 was amended to create a Board position of Immediate Past President for the purpose of helping maintain some continuity as members of the Board change after elections. Article IX, Section 3 was amended to clear up conflicting language between this section and Article XVI, Section 3 relating to how committees are appointed. Article IX, Section 7 was amended to clarify that the Board may reimburse Board members for some of the expenses that they may incur in the performance of their official duties providing sufficient funds are available and the request for reimbursement is made and approved by the Board of Direc- tors in advance. Article X, Section 5 was amended to accommodate the duties of the position of Immediate Past President. Article X, Section 6 was amended requiring Board members to participate in at least half of all Board meeting each year and providing for a means of removal if they fail to do so. Article XI, Section 3 was amended to clarify that the Board may reimburse the Executive Director for some of the expenses that he or she may incur in the performance of his or her official duties SWCHR BULLETIN 5 Fall 2011 providing sufficient funds are available and the request for reimbursement is made and approved by the Board of Directors in advance. Article XII, Section 1 was amended to change the frequency of regular Board meeting from once quarterly to at least once every six months. The President still has the authority to call additional special meetings as necessary. Article XVI, Section 1 was amended replacing the term “Web Development Committee” with the term “Communications Committee”. A “Conservation Committee” was also added a standing com- mittee. Article XVI, Section 3 was amending allowing the President to appoint any member as the Chair of a committee. Previously committees had to be chaired by an elected or appointed officer or director. Article XVII, Section 1 was amended to clarify that while no part of the funds of SWCHR shall go to the benefit of any officer, director or member, that officers, directors and members are not pro- hibited for participating in any type of competitive events or from receiving awards for such events, providing that non-members have equal opportunities to participate in those events. Article XVIII, Section 1 was amended to remove sanctions against members for very minor wildlife violations that are punishable by fine only. Article XIX, Section 3 was amended providing for the incorporation of amendments into the body of the Articles of Association along with the date of the amendment. Prior to the end of the meeting president Tom Lott announced that he had appointed and Toby Brock had accepted the appointment to serve as the Chair of the membership Committee.
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