IRCF webpage updated & Dec 2007 IGUANA available!.

Sorry for the delay in updates! But.....

Hello all!

IRCF has been busy this month! Our website's front page has received a major update.

Stop by and take a visit to see what conservation gifts and donations you can make for 2007 and for next year!

Also, some photos are uploaded from previous shows that IRCF has attended.

The December journal is out! Sign up today to receive your copy!

http://www.ircf.org/

Hope to see some of you in February at the NARBC Texas show!

des

Have you received your June IGUANA issue?

The tiny lizard dominating IGUANA's cover is a St. Vincent Dwarf Gecko (Sphaerodactylus vincenti). The journal highlights such topics as the conservation of green anacondas, sand dune lizards and Boelen's Python, as well as a profile on Glenn Gerber. Check out the IRCF on the Move section to see how our IRCF members supported IRCF at Chicago's ReptileFest. There's quite of lot of information and interests in nearly 80 pages!

How do you get this issue? Simply join the IRCF You'll receive 4 quarterly professionally put-together issues. You will not be disappointed! By joining, you are contributing to IRCF's efforts with assisting endangered reptiles.

IRCF September show schedule

IRCF will be attending the following shows:

September 8-9:
North American Reptile Breeder's Conference and Trade Show (NARBC)
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, CA
http://www.narbc.com/

September 29-30th
The Sacramento Reptile Show
Sacramento Convention Center
Sacramento, CA
http://www.upscalereptiles.com/

Reggie the Alligator

2005.05.18: I have been visiting Lake Machado (Harbor City, CA) to photograph Reggie the Alligator; you can see photos in my MySpace blog.

Update: Sadly, Reggie has been captured and now resides at the Los Angeles Zoo. He certainly brought character to the Lake.

Volunteers needed for Blue Iguana Recovery Program from May through December 2007

It's Team Blue 2007! The Blue Iguana Recovery Program is now actively seeking volunteers, especially during the months of June and July; these months are critical to the success of the program, as major tasks are observing nesting iguanas and gathering of selective eggs for incubation. I have to say volunteering to help the most endangered iguanas in the world on a lovely Carribean island is an experience one will not soon forget or have abundant opportunities to do so!

IRCF has released an online registration program that gives you details of the volunteer positions available and easy to fill forms.

Volunteer website: http://www.IRCF.org/volunteer.html

My second trip to Grand Cayman was during June 2005. I had a great time volunteering. I helped out at the BIRP facility, taking care of the captive blue iguanas, ranging from yearlings to adults. At the time, we were doing observations of wild iguanas spotted in the East End; I spent a few days tracking and observing them. Finally, I spent time observing nesting iguanas in the Botanical Park, as well as digging up a nest in the middle of a morning thunderstorm!

Websites:

Blue Iguana Recovery Program http://www.blueiguana.ky
International Reptile Conservation Foundation http://www.IRCF.org

Please feel free to pass this information on through your network! You can make a difference in saving this incredible species!

des

I took this photo of Slugger (RIP 2006) in December of 2004. He was one of my favorite iguanas to photograph.

Sign the Petition: Cockpit Country, Jamaica

From the petition website:
"Cockpit Country is a mountainous, forested area of western Jamaica, rich in biodiversity and home to the Leeward Maroons of Jamaica. Its landscape of steep-sided hills and deep, round valleys eroded from the limestone bedrock is an outstanding example of karst topography. The wet limestone forest of Cockpit Country is Jamaica’s largest remaining primary forest and a refuge for rare Jamaican animals such as the Black-billed parrot and the Giant Swallow-tail butterfly, and more than 60 endemic plants. While the Land of Look Behind is famous in Jamaican history, each scientific expedition reveals more natural wonders of this ‘biodiversity hotspot’ and secrets of its Taino and Maroon heritage. A renewed interest in prospecting for bauxite and limestone in the Cockpit Country has sparked a campaign led by a wide cross-section of local and overseas Jamaicans – the Cockpit Country Stakeholders’ Group – to protect this unique area. Mining in Cockpit Country would destroy the natural, cultural and archaeological resources of Cockpit Country that are virtually untapped as a source of sustainable livelihoods, especially eco- and heritage tourism, for many rural communities of Jamaica.Cockpit Country is a mountainous, forested area of western Jamaica, rich in biodiversity and home to the Leeward Maroons of Jamaica. Its landscape of steep-sided hills and deep, round valleys eroded from the limestone bedrock is an outstanding example of karst topography. The wet limestone forest of Cockpit Country is Jamaica’s largest remaining primary forest and a refuge for rare Jamaican animals such as the Black-billed parrot and the Giant Swallow-tail butterfly, and more than 60 endemic plants. While the Land of Look Behind is famous in Jamaican history, each scientific expedition reveals more natural wonders of this ‘biodiversity hotspot’ and secrets of its Taino and Maroon heritage. A renewed interest in prospecting for bauxite and limestone in the Cockpit Country has sparked a campaign led by a wide cross-section of local and overseas Jamaicans – the Cockpit Country Stakeholders’ Group – to protect this unique area. Mining in Cockpit Country would destroy the natural, cultural and archaeological resources of Cockpit Country that are virtually untapped as a source of sustainable livelihoods, especially eco- and heritage tourism, for many rural communities of Jamaica.

Fire near the QE II Botantic Park (Grand Cayman)

This is so sad, as arson is suspected! Last year, there was a fire which destroyed Salina Reserve land, home to the released Blue Iguanas, criticially endangered reptiles.

"A wildfire has broken out close to the west of the QE II Botanic Park. In a pattern reminiscent of last year's extensive fire which affected part of the Salina Reserve, this new fire was started, possibly maliciously, on the verges of the road approaching the Park. It crept north and entered a pristine Thatch-Mahogany-Agave forest, growing on thick leaf litter and shallow soil. This is an area the Park's Blue Iguanas sometimes roam, especially when the trees are fruiting... "

Please visit http://www.blueiguana.ky/ for continued reading about the fire and to learn more about the Blue Iguanas.

Please also feel free to forward this information to bring attention to the plight of the Blue Iguanas.

*Picture of a alpha male that I took in 2004 while assisting with the Blue Iguana Recovery Program.

Crayon Conservation - Guatemalan Beaded Lizard

I am extremely pleased to see someone come up with a creative way to raise awareness and funds for endangered reptiles conservation.

Coloring Competition:Project Heloderma (April 1 - July 1, 2007)http://www.geocities.com/crayon_conservationist/

To learn more about IRCF and Project Heloderma:http://www.ircf.org/projectheloderma

Please forward this information through your network to bring awareness to this individual's efforts to help endangered reptiles.

*Photo: Copyright 2007 IRCF

MySpace code for IRCF banner now available!

Rich of HerpCenter.com has created a webpage from which you can retrieve MySpace code to add an IRCF banner! If you want to spread the word about IRCF, please add the banner code to your MySpace Profile - it's really easy!

IRCF is a member-based organization; I would like to encourage you to visit the site and consider membership. The IGUANA journal is very professionally put together, containing fantastic photos and well-written articles that cover ranges of conservation, species focus, husbandry, book reviews, etc.

I would love to see the organization grow with a proactive membership who certainly can make a difference in making one less reptile extinct! Everyone's efforts contribute to the greater whole - preserving endangered reptiles and their ecosystems.

Please do leave me a comment upon the add; I'd like to make certain that your profile is added to my network.

The IRCF March Journal has hit the mailboxes

The journal has arrived, with a stunning cover and first-time color centerfold inset, highlighting the endangered gharial. Inside, you'll find a number of articles, including coverage of the Texas Horned Lizard population study (I found it quite cute to see little lizards affixed with collars of transmittors!) , the plight of the gharial, and aspects of lighting and reptilian immunity.

How do you get this issue? Simply join the IRCF! You'll receive 4 quarterly professionally put-together issues. You will not be disappointed! By joining, you are contributing to IRCF's efforts with assisting endangered reptiles.

In memory of Vega$ Iguana

My female green iguana Vega$ passed away this morning. She had been a part of her family nearly 11 years and has touched many folks' lives in person and on the net. We miss her terribly and have posted a blog of her last few days on MySpace account at http://www.myspace.com/vegasiguana

For those who dont' have myspace, please feel free to express your condolences on this blogger. If you have any fond memories of her or how she made a difference in your life, please do share them, whether in this blogger or at Myspace. I can also be reached at des[at]IRCF.org

If you wish to do something in her memory, please donate to IRCF in her name. If it wasn't for her, my life's path would not have led me have so many friends in the reptile world and become involved with reptile conservation.

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and well wishes.

des

Exciting news at the IRCF

IRCF has been quite busy this Spring. Our website has been continually updated, now including information about three additional Programs that we now support - Project Palearis, Argentine Sand Dune Lizard, and Gharial Multi Task Force.

We attended the NARBC Arlington, Texas show; again many thanks for the support from Bob Ashley and Brian Potter with providing us a table.

Michael Kern and John Binns co-authored an article "Herp Conservation Organizations - How you can contribute to reptile & amphibian conservation" in Reptiles Magzine's March conservation focused issue. With reptiles and amphibians facing constant threats of extinction, this is a great read if you want to learn of ways to help.

The March IGUANA journal, with the focus article on the plight of the ghairal, will be quite fantastic. A first-time color centerfold will be included, which highlights various photos of the gharial.

Join the IRCF and receive this journal as part of your membership! For information about membership and the IGUANA, please visit http://www.IRCF.org.

Team Blue 2006 Web Logs

Time allowing, the team has been providing work activities logs with photos. Check out http://www.blueiguana.ky to see the progress of Team Blue!