Melissa

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is a Tradition That Needs to Change

News & Announcements / By / April 6, 2020

“Rattlesnake Roundup: A Texas Community Tradition,” details how the Sweetwater Jaycees ignored public health concerns, putting their community at risk by holding their rattlesnake roundup as usual. Rattlesnake roundups are the worst example of what happens when fear and hatred drive wildlife management. There is no reason to believe that the numbers of rattlesnakes in …

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Need good news? Here you go!

News & Announcements / By / March 24, 2020

Good News for Snakes! Yes, really. The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup happened, but attendance was WAAAY down this year (reported in the hundreds, rather than tens of thousands). That same weekend the Claxton Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival was a success. At least seven roundups have cancelled this year’s events! And it seems likely more will do so as …

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Welcome to the Snake House

Persecution / By / December 31, 2019

Here’s the final installment in our series of five inspiring stories to celebrate ASP’s fifth birthday (read them all here): 40 Rattlesnakes Discovered in Couple’s Shed! Usually headlines like that are followed by a story detailing how miraculously no one was hurt before the snakes were inevitably removed or killed. This is not that story. …

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Old Friends

Parental care, Social behavior / By / February 17, 2020

To celebrate ASP’s fifth birthday, we’re sharing five inspiring stories with you — a new one each week through the end of 2019. Read them all here. Late this summer we visited one of our study sites after a near two-year absence. It was nesting season and though we saw fewer snakes than in years …

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Keeping Wildlife Management Science-Based

Persecution / By / December 24, 2019

To celebrate ASP’s fifth birthday, we’re sharing five inspiring stories with you — a new one each week through the end of 2019. Read them all here. Snakes are threatened by the same issues that affect all wildlife (e.g., climate chaos, habitat loss), but negative attitudes may be the biggest barrier to their conservation because …

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Face to Face for Snakes

Misinformation / By / December 9, 2019

To celebrate ASP’s fifth birthday, we’re sharing five inspiring stories with you — a new one each week through the end of 2019. Read them all here. This past summer at the farmers’ market, a little boy ran up and hugged me. At first I thought it was a case of mistaken identity, but then …

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Stopping Snake Slaughter at Rattlesnake Roundups

Persecution / By / February 17, 2020

To celebrate ASP’s fifth birthday, we’re sharing five inspiring stories with you — a new one each week through the end of the year. You’ve probably heard that Facebook is matching $7 million in donations today for Giving Tuesday. While we don’t expect to get that match (it goes fast to the biggest organizations), we …

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Secrets of Snakes

Misinformation / By / November 11, 2019

The heart of ASP’s work is education using stories to illustrate cool snake behavior and busting myths and misconceptions when answering questions about snakes. Although they tend to change over the years, at any given time people have the same questions: “Are rattlesnakes rattling less?” “Are babies more dangerous than adults?” “How do you tell …

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How to be a Snake Hero

Misinformation, Roads, Threats / By / April 22, 2019

[row] [column md=”6″] Don’t use bird netting Avoid glue traps and poison Shoot snakes with a camera Keep pets indoors or under control Share positive stories about snakes Drive carefully, watch for small animals Respect and appreciate wildlife from a distance Make adoption the first option for your next pet Don’t buy wild-caught animals or …

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January 2019 enews

News & Announcements / By / February 16, 2019

  We are overwhelmed and humbled by your generosity. In November and December you gave us $3000 to promote compassionate conservation and coexistence with snakes!   Surface coal mining is likely destroying timber rattlesnake habitat. Researchers found that areas preferred by timber rattlesnakes are also ideal for coal mining. Another reason to support wildlife-friendly solar? …

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