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Hello again everyone, here is Episode Fifteen, the second part of my conversation with Justin Elden on this Sunday double-fun day. The main thrust of our conversation is Justin’s work in Guatemala with the Highlands and Islands Conservatory, which is centered around the pictured Guatemalan pit viper, Bothriechis aurifer, but of course includes other herps and more importantly, their habitats. And of course, we wandered off topic, but in ways you’ll appreciate!
Justin and his associates put in a lot of time and effort with this conservation project, and that includes getting the local people involved, and in some cases employed. So what can YOU do to help? Pretty simple – buy a tshirt or other merch at the links below and I will say thanks in advance!
The Highlands and Islands Conservatory also has a FaceBook page that you can follow. I’m also including a link to the associated Ranchitos del Quetzal Natural Reserve, where birders come to see the Resplendant Quetzal, and which I myself hope to visit when travel is again open and safe. I might even look for a quetzal.
Here’s the link to Highlands and Islands merchandise, which feature Bothriechis aurifer, and here is the link to the original Mayan t-shirt design, which is pretty cool as well.
One more bit of Herp Love: here’s a link to the FaceBook page of Andres Novales, who is involved with the conservation projects with his buddy Justin. Andres shares his great photos of Guatemalan wildlife on his page. Check it out!
And on a final note: we make fun of Marlin Perkins a bit, but the dude was pretty bad-ass in all actuality….
Once again, thanks Justin for coming on the show! And thanks for listening, everyone! The show email is somuchpingle@gmail.com, and there’s also a So Much Pingle group on Facebook, for discussion, comments, feedback, suggestions, herp confessions, tips for herping better, etc.
Stay tuned for more episodes! And don’t forget to herp better!
-Mike
Hey there herpsters, it’s Episode Fourteen! What shall we talk about? Let’s ask the triumphant dude on the left, the one with the little viper in a tube. That’s Justin Elden, the viper is Armenian (Montivipera raddei), and guess where they are? In this episode, I talk with Justin about his involvement with the St. Louis Zoo’s 
Hello everyone, and welcome to Episode Thirteen! Lucky! We’re talking about herps, herp trips, photography, and the overall coolness of the cosmos with Josh Wallace. We’ve been to some places, and we’ve seen some things…..Josh also brings a strong herp meme game to social media, and we talk about that, and much, much more. The fantastic photo at top left is representative of Josh’s astroscape work with a camera. Think about it, folks – while you’re tucked snug in your beds, Josh is slapping his cheeks to stay awake and capture images of the universe as it wheels overhead.
Welcome to Episode Twelve! In this installment, I talk with Dr. Emily Taylor, professor of biological sciences at Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University), and we cover a number of topics, including rattlesnakes and leopard lizards. Dr. Taylor is pursuing some fascinating lines of research and her passion for her work comes shining through. Now this episode comes with some homework – I want you all to read “
Hi folks! For Episode Eleven, we have an interview that I recorded last month, on location in eastern Colorado, with Tim Warfel and Hunter Johnson. The main thrust of our conversation was the recently concluded COPARC Otero County herp survey, and we managed to cover a few other topics as well. This was the eighth Otero survey and I was happy to participate, and to hang out with a lot of Colorado herpers. We found some pretty cool herps as well. In photo left is Ryan and Cambria Borgmann. Cambria was the youngest participant, and she got to see her first horned lizard and her first rattlesnake. Guess who the oldest surveyor was?
Hello again everyone! Welcome to Episode Ten! I like that double-digit number. For this episode, we’re talking with Rob, AKA SmetLogik, a YouTube content creator par excellence when it comes to documenting herps and herp adventures. Rob, Jennifer and son Nick recently relocated from the Denver area to Tucson, Arizona, and I caught up with Rob a few weeks ago in their new home. I really like Rob’s approach to the herp vid medium – he’s got a great sense of style and flair, as does son Nick (also, see photo at left). I’ve also had the good fortune to spend some time in the field with this father-son combo and I enjoy their company.
Hello everyone! Episode Nine finds us both in and out of the water with photographer/herper Matt Sullivan. Two shows in a row where we dip ourselves in the drink to visit with fascinating creatures! We’ll have time to dry off before our next installment, but for the moment, we’ll talk with Matt about his experiences photographing both herps and cool aqua-creatures. Matt’s underwater camera housing is featured in photo left – an awesome rig.
Hello everyone! For Episode Eight, we take a deep breath and submerge ourselves into the world of the Hellbender via a conversation with Nick Burgmeier. When it comes to cryptobranchids (hellbenders are in the family Cryptobranchidae, along with the Chinese and Japanese giant salamanders), Nick is a subject matter expert. I enjoyed talking with Nick on the subject, especially since he and his colleagues have made great progress in protecting Indiana hellbenders. Nick is featured in the photo at left, with a hellbender, which is inside the water snake he’s holding – we realize that even water snakes gotta eat, but why not a delicious bass?
Hello again everyone! Episode Seven features a conversation I had with Bob Ferguson, recorded in the New Jersey Pine Barrens last month. I got to spend some time in the field with Bob and he was nice enough to spend an hour or so putting down the interview. In the photo, Bob is on the left with me and Nate Nazdrowicz, taken at Snake Road in southern Illinois (back in the days when we could be in close proximity). In our conversation we talked about herping in both local and exotic locations, adventure travel, and we also touched on Bob’s calendar project. Bob’s been to some awesome places on the planet and it was fun to hear him talk about it. I think Bob’s energy and passion come shining through in this episode – he’s a pleasure to talk with and a heckuva nice guy.
Jill Rials is from Mesa, Arizona, and the critter she is holding is a smooth-fronted caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus).
Andrew DuBois is from Lakewood, Colorado. Here he is enjoying a Pinocchio Anole (Anolis proboscis) in Ecuador.
Cynthia Samake lives near Santa Fe, New Mexico. In this photo she is sketching a leaf-mimic katydid in our Madre Selva field station.
Elizabeth (Liz) Hughes lives in Phoenix, Arizona and here she is with her first giant monkey frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor).
Justin Michels is from Pekin, Illinois. We herp in Illinois together quite often, and here he is with a large and thankfully tranquil diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer).