Dale Hjertaas toured the Center with Dr George Gee on September 27. Dale is the Manager of Science and Policy, Fish and Wildlife Branch, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management. He will be leaving his current position as he has been selected to be the new Director of Policy and Communications for the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. This new body is designed to manage water supply and protect source water quality.

Patuxent's Reynolds and Zug of the Smithsonian Present Lectures and Demonstrations on Turtle Classification, Anatomy, etc. at Horsehead Wetlands Center

Bob Reynolds of Patuxent’s Biological Survey Unit at the National Museum of Natural History, and George Zug, Smithsonian Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles at the National Museum, presented lectures and laboratory demonstrations at the Horsehead Wetlands Center in Grasonville, Maryland on 16 August. Marguerite Whilden of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources invited Bob and George to lecture on turtle classification, anatomy, field techniques, and the preparation of voucher specimens for deposit in museum collections. More than 20 people attended. The audience was composed primarily of State, Federal, and university biologists involved in research and conservation of the Diamondback Terrapin in the Chesapeake Bay.

Perry Interviewed for Video Concerning Advantages of Creating Wetlands on Golf Courses

Dr Matthew Perry recently was interviewed for a new video being prepared for the Golf Course Association that deals with the advantages of creating wetlands on golf courses. The video is being produced by the Native Seed Trade Association and will be distributed to Golf Course managers throughout the country. The video will be a guide for constructing or restoring golf courses that will optimize the use of natural wetlands with native plants and wildlife. Wetlands at Patuxent Research Refuge were used as positive examples of constructed wetlands.

Contact: Matthew Perry 301-497-5622

Gotte Participates in Reptile and Amphibian Survey in Mosquitia Region of Northeastern Honduras

Steve Gotte of Patuxent's Biological Survey Unit at the National Museum of Natural History, participated in a survey of reptiles and amphibians in several current and proposed Reserves in the Mosquitia region of northeastern Honduras. The work was done from 7 July to 11 August in collaboration with researchers from the Smithsonian Institution, Miami-Dade Community College, The University of Florida, and the University of Costa Rica. The sites visited included the Rio Kruta Biological Reserve and the proposed Rus Rus and Tawahka Anthropological Reserves. Eighty species of amphibians and reptiles were collected. Included were two new species for the country, the first modern records for two species, several rarely collected species, series of specimens of several taxonomically uncertain populations, and a specimen of a possible new species of frog. The voucher specimens from this trip will be deposited in the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles at the National Museum of Natural History. Tissue samples taken from selected specimens will allow DNA analysis that may help to delineate species boundaries in several taxonomic groups such as the frog genera Leptodactylus, Eleutherodactylus, and Bufo . The information gained on this trip will contribute to a better knowledge of ecosystems under increasingly intense human pressure, amphibian and reptile habitat use and community composition, and will be useful to authorities as they make reserve boundary and management decisions in this important natural area.

Woodman and Smithsonian Partners Meet with Representatives of the Siksika Tribe to Identify Animal Parts Associated with Two Medicine Pipe Bundles and Two Bear Knives

A Native American medicine bundle represents a collection of objects that are connected with carrying out specific ceremonies, rituals, or prayers. Medicine pipe bundles contain sacred smoking pipes, which are used to communicate with the spirit world. On August 19th, Neal Woodman of Patuxent's Biological Survey Unit and two Smithsonian Institution partners met with representatives of the Siksika Tribe (one of four member tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy) at their request to identify animal parts associated with two medicine pipe bundles and two bear knifes. In addition to a large number of eagle feathers and ermine skins associated with the pipes, was a small bundle comprised mostly of skins that included prairie dog, yellow-bellied marmot, wapiti fawns, ducks, a curlew, pelican, grebe, and several whooping cranes. A separate bundle consisted of an ochred dinosaur vertebra.

Contact: Neal Woodman 202-786-2483 

HiLites Contact: B.H. Powell, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 301-497-5782

See Previous HiLites:

August 31, 2000
September 21, 2000
September 28, 2000
October 5, 2000
October 16, 2000
October 30, 2000
November 8, 2000
November 16, 2000
November 22, 2000
November 30, 2000
January 4, 2001
March 15, 2001
March 22, 2001
March 29, 2001
April 5, 2001
April 12, 2001
May 17, 2001
May 24, 2001
June 6, 2001
June 21, 2001
August 27, 2001
September 12, 2001

September 26, 2001
October 31, 2001
November 29, 2001
January 21, 2002
February 11, 2002
February 19, 2002
February 26, 2002
March 4, 2002
March 18, 2002
April 1, 2002
April 8, 2002
April 15, 2002
May 1, 2002
May 7, 2002
May 13, 2002
May 30, 2002
June 19, 2002
July 10, 2002
July 15, 2002
July 25, 2002
July 30, 2002
August 5, 2002