Reptiles at Risk: On the Road is an outreach education project which will to spread important messages of reptile conservation in places where species at risk reptiles are actually found. We target specific locations and deliver exciting, hands-on programs featuring live animals. These programs have proven effective in increasing knowledge and positive attitudes about these creatures and their conservation.
This project is a partnership between Laurentian University, the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network, and Sciensational Sssnakes!!
Miss Kat
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 19, 2011 at 1:49 PM
Our dear Katrina- the sweetest and most bendable girl on the team :) Katrina is a fun person to have around while on the road, or anytime for that matter. She just graduated from Guelph University (yep, another one!) in Wildlife Biology. Thanks to her herpatology field course at Queens U in Kingston, she is also our resident amphibian expert! She's great to have along on any trail, because she'll be sure to spot little critters sliding through the grass that anyone else would just breeze right past. One very cool thing about Kat is that she is actually a gymnastics coach! This has got to be a first for any of the Reptiles at Risk crew members- and boy does she rock those backflips. She's entertained some lingering crowds with her stunts here and there, but we've yet to start a show with a triple flip one-handed backspring with turtle in hand ;) Personally, I think it could be fun, but what do I know.
Katrina is always ready with a laugh, and keeps as all going with her sunny disposition. Of all her favourite things, the one we hear about most is her little puppy back home. Any time we pass other dogs you can be sure Katrina will be the first to 'awww' and tell us the latest adorable thing her pup has learned to do. Very cute! She is great at posing for ridiculous photos, and is a mean competitor in mini golf. Another of her favourite things I'd have to say is post-boxes. When she's not reading her 'Water for Elephants' novel, she's probably writing yet another postcard to be sent from our next small town stop.
One of Katrina's arch-nemesis' are, believe it or not, chipmunks. They have even been known to stalk Katrina in the night, crawling up through the wheel-well in our old trailer and onto her legs in her bed in the middle of the night. Never mind snakes- it's the rodents you have to watch out for!
Hard to believe our summer is coming so soon to a close, it's been fun times Katherine ;)
A week of Points.
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 19, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Katrina here. Over the past week the team was lucky enough to visit 2 more provincial parks, and stay 3 nights at each!
The first was Long Point, and we had a beautiful site right near the beach. This park is probably the sandiest one we've been to. We had two shows at the park on a rainy Sunday and we were lucky enough to have the rain stop in time for both our shows- what are the chances of that?
Monday we had a nice relaxing day off and drove to the town of Long Point where Amanda and I had a lovely mini-putt tournament. We both shot over par, but it was nice to change up our routine a little. (Amanda here- Katrina is just being modest, she actually kicked my butt). While playing mini-putt Adam explored the Arcade. On our way back to the park we stopped at a trail explaining some of the future plans for the Longpoint Causeway, to build eco passages for the animals. We walked the 2km trail and saw a great blue heron, a hawk and a couple garter snakes. I decided to pick up a garter, which of course meant the garter had the right to musk on me! It was really smelly!- note to self: that is why we don't pick up wild garters!
Turkey Point was our next stop: after shows in Port Dover and Port Rowan. Again we lucked out with a huge campsite- it was a pull-through with two picnic tables and quite a distance between other campsites. Our first night there we had a show in front of the campers at Turkey Point.... little did we know our boss Jeff and Robin were in the crowd filming us! We had a nice visit with Jeff and Robin and had a lovely evening dinner of chili and card-playing! Side note: we had a park warden come by and say we were being a little too loud with our music (AND this was in fact our forth encounter with park wardens at different parks after driving a short distance without seatbelts, having fires after 11pm and parking in a no parking area). This is proof that park wardens do a great job! :)
Which takes us to Wednesday... on Wednesday we had 3 shows at Simcoe Library, Waterford Library and Backus Conservation Area. Thursday we had a day off at Turkey Point where Adam and I dropped Amanda off at her great Aunt and Uncles' (Carole and Stuart). She had a reat time catching up and seeing old family photos and meeting the neighbour: Gregor Beck. Gregor Beck is involved in the reptile world and has helped with several publications- Amanda picked up a wonderful herp. conservation guide off him (which is one I actually purchased in Pinery P.P.). Adam and I then went to the town of Simcoe to explore and get our haircut.
Which brings us to today! Friday!! We are currently stationned outside the Port Dover Library doing our second last display as part of a sidewalk sale on the Main street. Tonight we will be in Selkirk- our last provincial park of the trip. We are almost done our Ontario adventures and it only feels like yesterday that we departed for the Georgian Bay Tour....
Big Red the van pays a visit to the 401, and carries us all the way to Woodstock. We wouldn't call a parking lot outside the slots the most ideal of places to sleep, but we did make the best of our stay. The Agricultural grounds in Woodstock also double as a racetrack and a slots casino, and so after Ray and Lorna the organizers (such lovely people!) helped us get settled in we stopped to enjoy some harness racing. With $2 bets you can't go wrong, and although only Katrina won back a bit of her cashola we had a fun time. The display went well at the market, and we had a steady stream of people visiting us all morning
We all couldn't wait to wander off to our next stop for the day.... Cow.a.polooza. Moo! We doubled up a display with our show, and enjoyed a milking contest beside us. Our milk snake, Angus, especially had a super time ;) You can bet we didn't miss that photo-op either! The Beagles, a Beatles tribute band that couldn't be older than 15 was a tough act to follow, but we presented to a nice audience, and hung around afterwards for a hilarious busking show. Enough of the city though, onwards to Longpoint as we drift further East along Erie...
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region
