2024 VHS Events

This past weekend, the Virginia Herpetological Society held its annual Fall Meeting at the Department of Wildlife Resources Headquarters in Richmond VA. We not only had the opportunity to hear many excellent talks about reptile and amphibian conservation, education, ecology, evolution and natural history from student and professional members, but we also had one of our most successful live auctions to date! Thank you to everyone who attended and made this such a fun opportunity to build a community and make connections while also supporting Virginia herp education, conservation & research!

We would also like to congratulate the winners and runners-up of our annual photography contest and our newly elected Vice President, Marshall Boyd and President, Arianna Kuhn!

Arianna Kuhn VHS President	Marshall Boyd VHS Vice-president

2024 Fall Meeting Presentations

Invited Speaker: Kerry Wixted Amphibian, Reptile, Invertebrate, and Invasive Species Program Manager for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies	Using environmental DNA for detection and conservation efforts in amphibians Natalie May; Hannah Farmer; Tara Pelletier Radford University	Caudata Macrogenetics: predicting genetic biodiversity using geographic, climatic, and life history traits Abbi Green; Hannah Farmer; Tara Pelletier Radford University
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Impact of Cattle Flash Grazing on Bog Turtle Movement in Southwestern Virginia Tanis McDonnell; Michael Holden; Joel Snodgrass; Carola Haas Virginia Tech	Influence of land use on the snake skin microbiome and potential implications for the host’s primary innate immune defense against ophidiomycosis Lauren Fuchs (VHS 2023 Grant Award Recipient) George Mason University	Department of Defense Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network Christopher E. Petersen; Robert E. Lovich Department of Defense
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Silviculture and Salamanders: 30 Years of Research by Virginia Tech George C. Brooks; Victoria M. Engler; Michael T. Holden; Carola A. Haas Virginia Tech	Machicomoco State Park Terrapin Nesting Ground Discovery and Protection Karl Kratzer	The Amphibians of Virginia – A Book in Progress Jason Gibson and Paul Sattler Averett University, Liberty University
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2024 Photo Contest Winners

We look Forward to Seeing Everyone in 2025!