A Day in the Life with the CNHP Herpetology Crew:
This summer, I worked on a variety of different projects from shrub monitoring to entomology surveys on Rabbit Ears pass. One of my favorite projects was working with the herpetology crew on the Statewide Natural Heritage Survey.
Unlike many of my other fieldwork experiences, our days began in the late morning. We slept out on a tarp because we had favorable weather and often got to camp late into the night. We would pack up camp, eat breakfast, and get on the road between 9:00 and 10:00. Our morning activities included northern leopard frog surveys, walking through creeks to find turtles, and one day, finding the rarest herp in the state: the round-tailed horned lizard! We were in southeastern Colorado, which is the hotspot for herp biodiversity in CO, so there was always something to be found in the heat of the day.
Around 2:00, we would start driving towards the nearest town to find some lunch. One day, we stopped for fresh melon from Rocky Ford. After lunch, we would fill up on gas and find a spot in the shade to nap or relax for an hour or two. Once we were fed and rested, we would set out for the real excitement!
In the evenings, starting around 5:00 and running late into the night, we would survey for snakes and other reptiles by road cruising. We would drive along less busy roads and watch along the road for snakes, lizards, and other creatures who are more active at night. As the temperature dropped, we would see more and more animals. Our finds weren’t just herps; we saw two porcupines, a handful of kangaroo rats, and a badger that we all thought was a possum when we first spotted it. We, of course, spotted plenty of herps too. On our last night, we stayed out until 3:40 a.m. and spotted 16 different snakes! Once we decided to finish cruising for the night, we would drive out to the Comanche National Grassland, set out our tarp, and watch the stars until we fell asleep.
