Thank you for your interest in Vermont’s reptiles and amphibians. We welcome your help in all its forms: contribute records (individually or as organizations), fund us, and through education.
This survey is designed so that anyone can contribute useful information from any town in the state. There are no assigned territories or required training sessions. People can contribute on whatever level they are comfortable. The time and place are up to you. On the other hand, if you are the type of person who needs an assignment, give us a call (802-352-4734) and we can work out a project to fit your time and interests. Of course, we have a list of particular unanswered questions.
Many People Yet We Still Need More info!
More than 6500 contributors have sent us over 80,000 records over the past 23 years. This information has helped outline basic distributions of individual herp species within Vermont. Our database now contains over 100,000 records. While this number is impressive there are still many gaps to fill, especially for the less common species.
If you look at the maps in the atlas, we suspect that many of you will know of species that are not reported from your area. You can also check to see what records are needed by using our searchable spreadsheet. Hopefully as you become aware of how valuable your field sightings are, you will take a couple of minutes to fill out a sighting/observation report the next time you find a reptile or amphibian. We have search and documentation tips to help you.
Most individuals have patiently taken the time to report those reptiles and amphibians that they see at home or while in the field. Many important discoveries occur just by being in the right place at the right time.
People interested in local history can help by finding old newspaper reports of reptiles and amphibians or locating references in town documents or local histories.
We would love to see town Conservation and Planning Commissions organize surveys to determine what species they are stewards of and where the critical habitat is located in their towns. Schools and college classes have contributed records, organized surveys, and built curricula around amphibians and reptiles. Some academics have directed undergraduate research and literature searches.
A great deal of useful information can be obtained from just reporting road-killed reptiles and amphibians.
We hope you will get (or stay) excited about contributing records. Use the website form and send us your reports. Get in the habit of filling them out and sending them in! We look forward to receiving many new reports from you!
