October 05, 2009
UNL Herpetologist to Show Off Snakes, Other Critters Oct. 13
LINCOLN, Neb. — Dennis Ferraro will offer "Reflections of a Nebraska Herpetologist" -- accompanied on stage by live snakes, other reptiles, and amphibians -- at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Hardin Hall Auditorium, at 33rd and Holdrege. The talk will be free and open to the public.
Ferraro, the resident herpetologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's School of Natural Resources, spends his summers crisscrossing the state, checking on the communities and populations of various species. He typically drives 3,000 to 4,000 miles each summer.
"I had a fantastic year in the field," Ferraro said. "I found the Blackhead Snake, the only snake I hadn't found in 25 or more years."
He shares the data he gathers on reptile and amphibian populations with the Nebraska State Museum, the Game and Parks Commission and other agencies. Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is using some of Ferraro's data in deciding whether to have the Northern Leopard Frog listed as an endangered species.
Ferraro found that the Northern Leopard Frog seems to be losing ground in the northern half of the state to the Plains Leopard Frog, even though the Game and Parks Commission in 2000 stopped allowing Northern Leopard Frogs to be captured and sold to biological supply companies.
Amphibians are particularly sensitive to environmental contaminants, and Ferraro's talk will touch on what researchers have discovered about frogs and herbicides in Nebraska. Some researchers believe that amphibians, with their sensitivity to environmental degradation, also may point the way to factors that lead to increased outbreaks of disease in humans.
Fortunately, Ferraro is also finding evidence that people understand environmental interconnections better. "It's more and more, ‘What is this and what does it do?' We're getting away from ‘What is this? Can it kill me?' We're moving more toward stewardship."
Ferraro has been a Nebraska herpetologist for nearly 20 years. He is originally from Connecticut and grew up fascinated with the creatures in and around ponds near his home. By the time he was in third grade, he knew what a herpetologist was, and that he wanted to be one.
"My mother started out being afraid of snakes, but after so many got loose in the house she had to learn to live with it," he recalled. "My husbandry technique was not as refined as it is now. Now nothing gets out."
Other talks in the School's Fall Outreach Lecture Series include Martha Shulski, Oct. 15, on "Life on the Last Frontier;" Stephen Vantassel, Oct. 27, on "Wildlife Damage Management: Problems and Prospects" (warning: includes graphic images of wildlife); and Roger Pabian, Nov. 10, on "Nebraska's Gemstones – Tiny Little Treasures."
Free parking will be available next to Hardin Hall and refreshments will be served.
More information is available from Kelly Smith, School of Natural Resources, (402) 472-3373, ksmith2@unl.edu, or Dennis Ferraro, UNL Extension and School of Natural Resources, (402) 472-8248, dferraro1@unl.edu.
10/5/09-KS Dennis Ferraro
Extension and School of Natural Resources Extension Educator and Associate Professor (402) 472-8248
 
Kelly Smith School of Natural Resources (402) 472-3373
Department:
School of Natural Resources
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