Please share and forward as appropriate - Are you ready to count snakes? The forecast for the opening weekend of the Center for Snake Conservation Fall Snake Count is for more rain at the CSC headquarters. However, despite the rain, we plan on turning up a few gems this weekend and then count many, many snakes next week. Follow us on Twitter (@CSCSnakeTweet) or on Instagram (cscsnake) to see what the CSC finds during the Snake Count as we find them.
The Snake Count is a first step towards understanding the conservation needs of snakes. We need your help to make it successful. We are excited to partner with Project Noah (www.projectnoah.org) to help collect and manage data. Project Noah is a GREAT tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere. Sign up and download their free smartphone app today. Do not worry; we will still accept data via email, our online webform, or hardcopy if you do not have a smartphone or GPS. This count is going to be incredible! Check out the FAQ page on www.snakecount.org to help you have a great Snake Count. This next week will be a very exciting one here at the CSC and I sincerely hope you can share in our excitement! Participants have expressed concern about the collection and potential release of specific geographic locations during the Snake Count and the effect this may have on snake populations. The CSC shares these concerns for many rare, threatened, or endangered species across the world. Please see the Snake Count FAQ and below for more information about how to protect these sensitive locations. Thank you, please be safe, and have fun counting snakes! Cameron -- Cameron A. Young Executive Director http://www.snakeconservation.org/ 770-500-0000 626-739-7451 (fax) Facebook, Twitter, Blog Snake Count Frequently Asked Questions: You can review the Snake Count FAQs here: FAQs. Specific Geographic Location Concerns: Participants have expressed concern about the collection and potential release of specific geographic locations during the Snake Count and the effect this may have on snake populations. The CSC shares these concerns for many rare, threatened, or endangered species across the world. That said, we do ask that you collect and provide data at least to the county level during the Snake Count. This will help us analyze trends, look for new distributional records, and provide current, accurate data to scientists and state wildlife agencies after the count. If you use the Project Noah smartphone application, GPS coordinates will automatically be recorded for you. If the location you are in is sensitive or your secret spot, the Project Noah software will allow you to move the pin for the location. We ask that you move the pin to the nearest town or other landmark and notify us that the pin was moved in the “comments” field when entering data. This way we can protect sensitive snakes and locations while conducting a thorough census of snakes during the Snake Count. Snake Count T-shirts: We are selling Snake Count T-shirts through the CSC CafePress online store. Get yours today! http://www.cafepress.com/centerforsnakeconservation Facebook: We will be posting daily results of the Snake Count on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to go to the CSC Facebook page and “like” us to stay updated. Snake Count Toolkits: Don’t forget to visit the Snake Count Toolkit for datasheets and protocols to use during the snake count if you are not using the Project Noah software. Snake Count Tool Kit Events: Do you want or need to look for snakes with someone else? There are several events being organized by CSC volunteers across the country. If you want to host an event or are interested in having people join you during a snake count, please send us information so we can post it on our event link (send email [email protected]). Prizes: Yes, we will be giving away prizes to individuals who count the most snakes during the Snake Count. We will also be drawing random names from the list of registered participants to give away free CSC memberships throughout the week. Need Help Identifying Snakes? Send your photo to us and we will identify the snake for you. Email photos to [email protected]. If you are using Project Noah to submit your results, just click on the “Help me identify this species” to alert us and Project Noah’s team of Rangers. Official Snake Names: The CSC has adopted an easy to use 9-letter shorthand code for snakes in North America. You simply use the first three letters of the genus, species, and subspecies to record a snake with NO overlap. If the species does not have a subspecies, simply enter XXX at the end of the code to make it nine-letters long. If you don’t know the scientific name of the snakes you observe, you can find the 9-letter code for each species in the state lists on the Snake Count website here. Please use this code on your datasheets to help simplify and organize your data. If all else fails, just write in what you know and we can figure it out. Reporting results: There are 3 ways you can submit your observations from the Snake Count. 1. You can use your smartphone or computer through Project Noah to submit your data. Be sure to enter your spotting into the Snakes of the United States Mission or Snakes of the World Mission. If you are worried about giving away your secret location, remember to relocate the pin to the nearest city or other landmark. Please note in the comments that you did this so we can get it into our records. 2. You can submit data online using the form on the Snake Count website (www.snakecount.org/submit-results) 3. You can scan and email your datasheet to [email protected] 4. You can mail your datasheets to the Center for Snake Conservation, 1581 Ridgeview Drive, Louisville, CO 80027 -- Cameron A. Young Executive Director http://www.snakeconservation.org/ 770-500-0000 626-739-7451 (fax) Facebook, Twitter, Blog
