2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Forest

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JakeScott
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by JakeScott »

Ananth, those people you were talking about was me, Chris and Chris. We DID NOT tear that place up. We flipped only a few logs total and we left. There were logs already kind of messed up when we got there. The logs that we did flip, we PUT BACK gently. So please do not point the finger at us.

Thanks.

-Jake
Darkhorse
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Darkhorse »

Thank you Jake, I didn't even flip but a few logs the size of my arm. Not much down there to flip. Jake and I photographed the cool gum trees mostly.
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Joseph Jenkins
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Joseph Jenkins »

I'm sure whoever did it did not mean to do it on purpose. That being said, everyone does need to keep in the back of their mind the fact that our herping endeavors have an impact and we need to be as careful as possible to keep that impact to a minimum. That can mean being conservative and check thoroughly when log flipping or shooting and releasing on site rather than holding onto an animal for hours. It can also mean keeping wading to a minimum in ponds and wetlands. Last year, a consequence of our large group wading in a known gopher frog pond resulted in at least one dead newt, and earlier that year in the same pond, a group of herpers stepped on and killed a gopher frog.

It is important to be conservation minded and keep our impact to a minimum.
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JakeScott
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by JakeScott »

Joseph Jenkins wrote:It is important to be conservation minded and keep our impact to a minimum.
Believe me, Joseph, that is something I've preached/practiced my whole life. Sometimes it does happen and it is unfortunate.

-Jake
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mtratcliffe
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by mtratcliffe »

Jake has a good reputation here and I know he wouldn't be careless to leave destruction like that. It's a shame that it happened, but hopefully it wasn't anyone from the Indigo search party.
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Noah M
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Noah M »

I wasn't there so I can't comment on this exact situation. But I do know there are herpers who aren't on the forums here. It is entirely possible other people not from the Indigo group or this community know of that location and visit it too, but are much more careless.

I can vouch for Jake too, if my opinion has worth. He is not careless and very much practices what he preaches about conservation, minimizing disturbance, etc.
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Joseph Jenkins
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Joseph Jenkins »

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. It is easy to miss an anole or newt under a leaf or piece of bark, and roll a log back on them. It could have been anybody. That being said, I wouldn't point the blame at a ghost when it was probably someone in our group that accidentally did it.

It really doesn't matter who did it, this is just a good reminder that we should all be careful.
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JakeScott
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by JakeScott »

Thanks Noah and Matt. I appreciate it.

Joseph, ghosts or no ghosts it wasn't the three of us, I can assure you. It could have been someone else in our group, or not. If not, better call the Ghost Busters, because like I said, the total logs we flipped (I use the term "log" very loosely) was maybe three or four. All three of us have seen anything that could have been flipped there numerous times and we are far too lazy to be fanatics. We really just wanted to take photos of the scenery.

Here is what we were doing mostly:

ImageConecuh National Forest by Jake M. Scott, on Flickr

-Jake
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Noah M
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Noah M »

I can also vouch that Jake is a lazy herper :lol: :lol: He puts his efforts into the photographs, and it shows, not the numbers of herps found. :thumb:
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BillMcGighan
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by BillMcGighan »

Paul Simon parable, sung to the tune of “Fifty ways to leave your lover”:


"The problem is all inside your head", she said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle with a tree
There must be fifty ways to roll the log back.

She said it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself, at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to roll the log back.
Fifty ways to roll the log back.

Just make it turn back, Jack
Roll it back in, Jim
You don't need to be lame, Jane
Just right it and see,
Put back the bark, Clark
You don't need to discuss much
Don’t rip with the hook, Lee
Just reset that tree.
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Aneides Aeneus
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Aneides Aeneus »

Jake,

I am sorry for mistakenly blaming you. I had not realized that you guys had been the ones to go there, or that you had not searched extensively. I had only known that someone had herped there the day before I did, and so I wrongly assumed that it was someone in our group who had caused the damage. I didn't consider the possiblity that whoever caused the habitat destruction had been there before you guys went. Again, I apologise for wrongly accusing you all, I just get very upset when I see this sort of damage, and I had to say something (which ended up being incorrect and a bit rash).

-Ananth.
Jim Godwin
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Jim Godwin »

JakeScott wrote:Thanks Noah and Matt. I appreciate it.

Joseph, ghosts or no ghosts it wasn't the three of us, I can assure you. It could have been someone else in our group, or not. If not, better call the Ghost Busters, because like I said, the total logs we flipped (I use the term "log" very loosely) was maybe three or four. All three of us have seen anything that could have been flipped there numerous times and we are far too lazy to be fanatics. We really just wanted to take photos of the scenery.

Here is what we were doing mostly:

ImageConecuh National Forest by Jake M. Scott, on Flickr

-Jake
This past Wednesday at this pond the southern toads were out in good numbers calling and breeding. This was at 9 am in the morning under foggy conditions. A second similar pond is only about 50 m from this pond and in it was a ca. 5 ft. alligator.
Jim Godwin
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by Jim Godwin »

Regarding the success with the indigo hunts, we're subject to what the weather delivers and the vagaries of animal activity. On 28 Feb we found one indigo and under less than ideal conditions. We were back on the following weekend, 7 March and the weather appeared ideal, sunny and in the 70s. The only snake we caught that day was a juvenile coachwhip although one black racer was seen.

This week great weather finally rolled in. I was in Conecuh this past Tuesday and Wednesday collecting water samples for and eDNA study on gopher frogs. The water levels in the ponds remain low but at least one female gopher frog laid a mass, leopard frogs were calling as were southern toads. A lone bird-voice treefrog was heard at one pond. I saw one ratsnake (white oak runner), ribbon snake, and banded water snake. Turtles were basking in abundance in the ponds either on logs or sitting on mats of aquatic vegetation. The best find was a nesting chicken turtle at Otter Pond.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by mtratcliffe »

Jim Godwin wrote:Regarding the success with the indigo hunts, we're subject to what the weather delivers and the vagaries of animal activity. On 28 Feb we found one indigo and under less than ideal conditions. We were back on the following weekend, 7 March and the weather appeared ideal, sunny and in the 70s. The only snake we caught that day was a juvenile coachwhip although one black racer was seen.

This week great weather finally rolled in. I was in Conecuh this past Tuesday and Wednesday collecting water samples for and eDNA study on gopher frogs. The water levels in the ponds remain low but at least one female gopher frog laid a mass, leopard frogs were calling as were southern toads. A lone bird-voice treefrog was heard at one pond. I saw one ratsnake (white oak runner), ribbon snake, and banded water snake. Turtles were basking in abundance in the ponds either on logs or sitting on mats of aquatic vegetation. The best find was a nesting chicken turtle at Otter Pond.
Nice finds! Glad to hear that the herps are coming out in force up there.
page whatley
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Re: 2015 Eastern Indigo Snake Search - Conecuh Naitonal Fore

Post by page whatley »

Hey y'all, yeah the weather sucked, don't know about the log flipping debate. We need to stick together on the reason we were there. INDIGOS! More time spent looking for snakes instead of frogs, and others may have resulted in more indigos. Anyway I'll be there next time hopefully with some of my snake finding friends. Thanks to all involved in the planning.
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