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The February meeting will feature a talk by Jason Folt: "Field Herping in Southern Ohio"

Jason is a new member of the GCHS, but has countless stories of finding herps in southeast Ohio, and some in the Cincinnati area. This is sure to be a very interesting talk about field herping for animals that live in "our own back yards"

MEET THE SPEAKER:

Jason Folt grew up moving between Rochester, Michigan and Akron, Ohio, where his family now lives. He holds a degree in biological sciences/pre-medicine from Ohio University, and now attends the college of medicine here at UC.

Jason?s interest in herps started when he was very young. His dad was a birder and often took Jason and his brothers on hikes. During his nature outings, Jason became infatuated with snakes. He wanted one as a pet, but his mom (and I?m sure many of us can relate to this) was too afraid to allow it. He finally attained his first snake during his sophomore year in college and from there became obsessed. While in college, Carl Brune, a physics professor at OU and a local herper began teaching him herpetology. With the help of Dr. Scott Moody, he determined that there was interest for a herpetology club at OU and began the process of setting one up. Jason also assisted Dr. Moody with various projects and collecting locality data in the area. With Jason?s persuasion Dr. Moody started teaching the herpetology courses again and Jason took the classes. Jason has also assisted Jeff Davis with reptile and amphibian surveying in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas.

Today, Jason?s main interests include the conservation and life histories of the animals, and the opportunity to see them in the natural state. He has also and started to pick up photography through his interests in the herps. Recently, he has found a growing interest in venomous species and the effects of their toxins on humans, and hopes to tie his hobby into a future career.

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