 
The New York Turtle and Tortoise Society presents
Seminar 2024
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Check-in 9:30 a.m.; Sessions 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Beczak Environmental Education Center
35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, New York 10701
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Approach from Alexander Street to the Beczak
Environmental Education Center from the north
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After a five-year hiatus (thanks to COVID-19), we are pleased to announce that Seminar 2024 will be held at the Beczak Environmental Education Center in Yonkers, New York. It is an easy drive up from the city or down from points in Westchester County. Ample parking is available. See Driving Directions to Beczak (PDF). It is also just two blocks north of the Yonkers Metro North (Hudson River Line) station (see map and train schedules (PDF)).
This full-day event will feature three in-depth presentations by prominent herpetologists. The fee for the day, including morning coffee and lunch, is $60 per person ($20 for students with ID). Seating is limited: pre-register today!
There are two ways to register:
- Register by mail with check. Download, print, and complete the Seminar 2024 Registration Form (PDF document) and send in no later than Saturday, November 2.
- Register online by credit or debit card through PayPal (you do not need a PayPal account). Registration deadline is Wednesday, November 6. To help prevent automated spam, the registration form is password protected. Go to the online Registration Form and enter the User Name and Password (shown on the right) when requested. Be sure to enter lowercase letters.
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Scheduled Program
Russell Burke |
Russell Burke
Professor of Biology, Hofstra University
“Twenty-five Years of NY Terrapin Research:
What We’ve Learned and New Horizons”
Our 25 years of work in Jamaica Bay has revealed a great deal about local terrapin populations and terrapins in general. I will review some of the surprising natural history we uncovered, the long term trends that have become clear, and our current research projects. We’ve had some conservation successes and some major disappointments, but the project is poised to move into some new directions.
Russell Burke is a Professor of Biology at Hofstra University. His research focuses on the ecology, evolution, and conservation biology of vertebrates, mostly reptiles and mammals. His major research projects involve diamondback terrapins at Jamaica Bay, the coyote invasion of Long Island and its community ecology implications, and the ecology of Lyme Disease. His long-standing interest in reptiles was the major influence in his decision to pursue a career in biology. He earned a B.S. in zoology from Ohio State University and an M.S. in wildlife ecology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, working on gopher tortoise conservation. His Ph.D. in Biology is from the University of Michigan, where his work focused on the ecology and evolution of midwestern freshwater turtles.
Ray Farrell |
Raymond Farrell
Herpetologist and turtle ecologist
“Observations of the Yellow-margined Box Turtle (Cuora flavo-
marginata) in Taiwan and Captive Husbandry of this Species”
In 1979, Ray first observed Cuora flavomarginata in the Chinese Food Markets in New York City and started working with this species in 1980. In 2003, the Turtle Survival Alliance asked him to develop a recovery plan and an assurance population for this species over their concern that it was becoming rare in the wild. In 2006, he had the opportunity to visit Taiwan and observe C. flavomarginata in the wild. During this time, he also examined a number of turtles illegally collected from various locations in Taiwan. In closing, Ray will discuss what he has learned about the captive husbandry of this species.
Ray Farrell is a herpetologist and turtle ecologist. He has worked for Herpetological Associates for over twenty-five years. Ray’s specialty is the ecology of endangered and threatened turtles of the Northeast, and has assisted with research on the Bog Turtle, Wood Turtle, Red-bellied Turtle, Timber Rattlesnake, Pine Snake. and Corn Snake. He has conducted radiotelemetry and monitoring of snake and turtle movements, plotting animal locations with GPS, presence or absence surveys, and habitat analysis.
Ray also was the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Taxon Manager for the recovery of the Cuora flavomarginata species, which included the building of an assurance population with as much genetic diversity as possible, determining if Temperature-Dependent Sex plays a role in sex determination, and developing DNA markers to identify the different subspecies to avoid interbreeding of the assurance population.
Robert Zappalorti
Executive Director, Herpetological Associates
Pemberton, New Jersey
“A Summary of 50-Years of Bog Turtle Research”
Robert will cover the original research studies on bog turtle behavior and reproduction that was started in Sussex and Monmouth Counties, New Jersey. Then expanding to western North Carolina and finally into eastern Pennsylvania over a 50-year period.
Robert Zappalorti founded Herpetological Associates, Inc. in 1977. The firm specializes in the conservation and ecology of threatened and endangered amphibians and reptiles. He has conducted extensive scientific research on the bog turtle, wood turtle, redbelly turtle, timber rattlesnake, corn snake, pine snake, blue-spotted salamander, tiger salamander, southern gray treefrog, Pine Barrens treefrog, and many other species. He specializes in conservation and mitigation plans and was the first herpetologist to build hibernacula for snakes and other wildlife in natural habitat areas. Robert is also the author of the recently published book The Bog Turtle.
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