Spring of 2008 brings many GREAT changes to the WDC!
Posted in General By Rickey on April 27th 2008
>компютриthe past year, the Wildlife Discovery Center at the historic Elawa Farm has undergone an extreme facelift. Now that we can see light at the end of the tunnel, we are now planning our grand re-opening later this spring. Our new Grass Is Rattling exhibit area will ble the new home for our venomous reptile collection but we have some long range plans to have an indoor “Discover the Middlefork” exhibit featuring a variety of turtles, snakes, frogs, salamanders and a few other surprises. Our outdoor “Discover the Middlefork” trail is opening this summer and will feature an interpretive trail, wildlife viewing deck, outdoor turtle pond and much more.
Our GIR exhibit hall will feature a variety of brand new exhibits for the following: Thai the King Cobra, our bushmaster, and our two mambas. Additionally, our resident alligators are taking up residence in this area.
The picture (if I did it right!) shows one of my staff who was on a recent herping trip to northern Florida. Mike Knoerr, Bryan Suson and Gavin Brink took a road trip to the S.E. and on their last day, fulfilled one of Mike’s lifelong dreams - catching an alligator snapper! The smile says it all doesn’t it?
Come out and visit us this spring!
The GIR is getting more space and a new arrival!
Posted in General By Rickey on September 02nd 2007
We are very excited about the progress of the next phase of the restoration of the historic Elawa Farm where the WDC is located. By March of 2008 we’ll have a new exhibit area for the Grass Is Rattling exhibit in addition to a Visitor’s Center and three new classrooms.
Also, we will soon be welcoming a baby saltwater crocodile that will be joining us in early September. This is the largest species of crocodile in the world and we hope to one day have our own “Crocoseum” at the WDC. We’ll have a complete write up about our new baby in a future blog. For now, enjoy “Maximus” (named after the late Max Schewitz who worked for the WDC and was one of the most passionate herp people I have ever known….he spent some time herping in Australia and always dreamt of us having a saltwater croc on exhibit and even having a “Crocoseum” at the WDC…his dream is becoming reality). Bringing this beautiful little croc was only made possible by the generosity of the Max Schewitz Foundation (www.maxandthewildthings.com) and a local foundation that supports worldwide conservation. Funds from these organizations will help give this croc the best in care. Not only is the Max Schewitz Foundation supporting worldwide conservation but they are also raising money to help support various efforts involving sudden cardiac death among young people. They are doing some amazing things and I encourage you to check out their website. Here’s a pic of our cute little bloke! More to come.
A tough job but someone has to do it!
Posted in General By Rickey on June 19th 2007
Although spring has just arrived, in just six weeks I’ll be enjoying the best part of my job - leading a field herpetology trip to the Central Michigan University Biological Station on Beaver Island, Michigan. Each summer I lead groups of middle school students to the Central Michigan University Biological Station on Beaver Island, Michigan where we learn about the diverse herpetofauna along with many other forms of wildlife. We also kayak one of the inland lakes learning about island ecology. Every day is a new adventure but one thing is for certain….we catch lots of snakes! . Here I am pictured holding a harmless Northern Water Snake - and there’s lots of ‘em!
WDC at Elawa Farm getting face lift
Posted in General By Rickey on June 12th 2007
Thanks to a generous donation we are going to be renovating some vacant farm buildings at Elawa Farm. This will result in the Grass Is Rattling exhibit hall to be moved to a larger building while adding additional classroom space. If all goes as planned, we'll have new facilities by June of 2008. By that time, our "Discover the Middlefork Savanna" trail will be completed that will feature a 7-station interpretive trail including a raised wildlife viewing observation deck. More to come!
Why do I work with venomous reptiles?
Posted in General By Rickey on June 07th 2007
That’s a question I am frequently asked. Although some folks think that I endanger my life on a daily basis, nothing could be further from the truth. No different than a law enforcement officer learning proper firearm safety, I, too, follow a very strict set of safety standards and procedures when I work with out venomous herp collection. Aside from a little nip from a baby beaded lizard, I have a perfect safety record over the past 20 years of working with venomous herps professionally. I take great pride in this record and am 100% confident that I will continue the safe keeping of venomous reptiles. With nearly 100 venomous reptiles ranging from rattlesnakes, various vipers, and elapids (such as cobras and mambas), I know how important it is to follow certain absolutes of safe venomous keeping. My Head Animal Keeper, Bryan Suson, has been a fast learned and his attention to detail and mastery of proper handling techniques is something that I am very proud. We all enjoy it when one of our pupils exceeds our expectations. Bryan has a bright future in this field.
So what does it take to work with venomous reptiles? Here’s a few important components:
- Maturity: You have to take this very seriously. Most folks wishing to work with venomous reptiles shouldn’t. You must have a professional attitude towards keeping them.
- Living a clean lifestyle: Getting plenty of sleep at night, having a clear and sound mind, and, not overindulging in alcholol and NEVER (ever) taking drugs, are essential components. The better you keep yourself in shape, the quicker your reflexes.
- Resources: It costs a lot of money to keep venomous reptiles. Not only do you need special housing, but you also need your own supply of antivenin (which can costs thousands and thousands of dollars).
- Experience and Knowledge: It took me many years of working with non venomous herps before I started working with venomous species. It’s important to master the use of snake hooks, tongs, and other handling techniques before working with venomous.
- MENTOR: Having a mentor to work under is crucial for long term success.
So why do I enjoy working with venomous reptiles? It’s not for the “oh wow” factor or showboating. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, I find venomous reptiles absolutely fascinating; it consumes my thoughts and is my passion. I hold the utmost of respect for these incredible animals. And, they are beneficial to humans as we now know that their venom may cure some of the world’s worst diseases.
Hurray for venomous reptiles!
A great day of golf for the Wildlife Discovery Center!
Posted in General By Rickey on June 01st 2007
Who would think that the WDC and golf go together….but they do! Today, the Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Foundation hosted their annual golf tournament to help raise awareness and funds for park and recreation programs. The WDC is under the umbrella of the City of Lake Forest’s Parks & Recreation Department. One of the unique features of this event is that each Par 3 hole features one of the Recreation Department’s programs. Of course, the most popular hole on the course is Lucky Hole #13! As players hit their approach on Hole 12 (a very long Par 5), they quickly realize that the two large dark objects lying on the green are actually two LIVE ALLIGATORS! You should see the looks on their faces! A big thanks goes to Bob and Dan Bavirsha for sharing Zeek and Michigan for the day. Other animals that were out for the public to see and touch were Shadow the Burmese Python, Chubby Cheekers the Giant Argentine Tegu, Sid the black throated monitor, Yurtle the Snapping Turtle, Shelley the Gopher Tortoise, Curly the Red Tailed Hawk and a host of other animals.
A big thanks goes to my staff of Edward Gudas, Bryan Suson, and interns Ryan and Natalie for hanging out with us. Another thanks goes to Lindy VanVlissingen for holding the fort down while other staff assisted me.
The gators were truly the big hit of the day and I’ll be posting pics very soon!! We will most likely get some sort of donation for funding future projects as a result of our involvement in this event.
Recapturing a radio tagged fox snake
Posted in General By Rickey on May 17th 2007
Our first radio tagged fox snake is a male that is currently in shed. When snakes are getting ready to shed their skin they tend to just lie in one place for a week until they shed their old skin. This means that when we are tracking this snake, it’s very easy! In fact, for the past week, I have found “Male 0160″ in the exact same spot. Unfortunately, “Female 0136″ is a much different story! She has traveled nearly a mile on the other side of this large, old cattail marsh! Unbelievable; this medium sized constrictor crawling that far from its original release site when I set her free only a week earlier after having a radio transmitter inserted into her (it doesn’t hurt her as it’s placed just under the layer of skin).
Every time we recapture one of our fox snakes it provides us with very important information that will one day help us to develop a conservation strategy to help save them.
Fox Snake Tracking
Posted in General By Rickey on May 16th 2007
We recently began a radio telemetry project (Western Fox Snake, Elaphe vulpina) in collaboration with Dr. Michael Corn from the College of Lake Countyand Gary Glowacki, Wildlife Biologist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District. We are trying to better understand where these snakes go after emerging from hibernation. Though not listed as a threatened or endangered species, they face many challenges including habitat destruction, fragmentation and over collecting.
For the past month I’ve been radio tracking four fox snakes and so far, I have been amazed by how far these animals are moving. Dr. Corn has PIT tagged (a small ID chip that’s inserted just under the snake’s skin) over 290 snakes over the past 10 years at this site so he is really the catalyst for this study. The habitat in this area (Lake County, IL) is primarily cattain marsh, upland woods and agricultural fields. Unfortunately, much of it is privately owned and could face large scale development which will spell the end for these beautiful creatures. The initial data has shown that these snakes range far wider than we ever imagined. When we are tracking them we oftentimes need to hike through waste deep marsh followed by long walks through prickly and thorny brush and dense woods. Studying animals is not as glamorous as you think but I can’t imagine a more rewarding endeavor.
I brought two of my staff along: Edward Gudas (Program Supervisor of outdoor recreation and adventure programs) and Bryan Suson (Head Animal Keeper at the WDC). They proved to be very valuabe in the field as Edward helped to use triangulation methods to help us zero in on where the snakes were hiding while Bryan was able to recapture our second raio tagged animal. Once we recapture one of the radio tagged snakes we complete a detailed data form that allows us to accumulate all kinds of information including: GPS coordinates, snake behavior, ground temps, canopy density, weather conditions, weight, and much more. In a 3-hour outing we were able to recapture two out of the three snakes so it’s not easy and requires a lot of patience and persistence.
We added some pics here of our outing. We are looking forward to getting some great information and hopefully, find a way to save these beautiful snakes.
The WDC is getting more space and a new arrival!
Posted in General By Rickey on March 19th 2007
The Grass Is Rattling Exhibit getting more space! By March of 2008 we’ll have an additional 500 square feet by moving the exhibit to the far north machine shed. We are very excited about this move as it will allow us to convert the current GIR space into a Visitor’s Center and we are also restoring the south end of Elawa Farm into three new classrooms. When it’s all said and done, we are going to have a magnificent facility at a historic site and something that no place in the Chicago region has. Stay tuned!
SALTWATER CROC COMING TO THE WDC! Soon, we’ll have an adorable baby saltwater crocodile coming to the WDC. The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile is the world’s largest species of crocodilian and it’s our hope to one day have more space to have a “Crocosium” where people can view modern day dinosaurs. We are very happy to open our doors to this magnificent animal! Thanks to a donation from the Max Schewitz Foundation (www.maxandthewildthings.com) and a local foundation that supports various conservation projects, we will soon have an adorable saltwater croc. We decided to name this cute little croc “Maximus” after the late Max Schewitz who grew up at the Wildlife Discovery Center and later worked there too where he was an animal keeper and wildlife instructor. On September 29, 2005 Max died suddenly of a hear attack and this was one of the worst losses I have ever experienced - a 20 year old kid dying of an undiagnosed heart problem. Thankfully, Max’s family turned this devestating loss into a wonderfully positive opportunity by creating the Max Schewitz Foundation that supports worldwide conservation in addition to supporting causes to help diagnose heart problems in young people. They just sponsored a school wide EKG program at Lake Forest High School and who knows how many lives may have been saved.
One of Max’s favorite places he traveled to was Australia where he spent some time in the outback enjoying his favorite past time….HERPING (looking for reptiles). He enjoyed emailing me pics of his latest conquests such as a large king brown which is one of the most feared snakes of Australia. He loved this continent and he always dreamt of the WDC having its own saltwater crocodile. We couldn’t think of a better name that “Maximus” for our baby saltie. We’ll keep you posted.
