Phoenix Herpetological Society

Thank you for visiting The Phoenix Herpetological Society (PHS) website. I would like to share with you some highlights and accomplishments of 2007.

Thanks to the generosity of the Arizona Diamondback Foundation and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, along with numerous private and corporate donors, The Phoenix Herpetological Society (PHS) has been able to greatly enhance it’s education program and improve the sanctuary facilities in 2007.

In February the Arizona Diamondback Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to purchase a temperature controlled 30’custom trailer and a new truck to transport our reptiles to the various venues we now serve. This included a permanent racking system along with numerous Vision cages to display the animals. This vehicle now allows PHS to participate in off site exhibits during the summer months. PHS could not previously attend these venues due to the stress it put on the animals caused by the excessive heat. By next summer PHS will be able to double the number of Title I school programs we offer to economically challenged districts for under privileged children on a no fee basis. Thanks to the D Backs our education program attendance has increased by over fifty percent in 2007. Through the first week of December the number of attendees stands at 72,585 with several more presentations yet to be given and this does not include the people that have taken tours at the sanctuary. Last year PHS had a total attendance of 51,103 people. Thank you Diamondbacks.

November the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust (N.M.P.) bestowed a construction grant in the amount of $130,000 to erect a six foot block wall around the entire sanctuary. This will provide better security for our reptiles and the public. Once the fence is completed it also allows us to fully maximize our developable area. PHS is planning to build pathways that are more handicap compatible as we are now hosting more tours for groups with various disabilities. I have to thank Bob and Loraine from N.M.P for taking the time to come out to the sanctuary and see the need for this project and going back to their board to plead our case. N M P’s generosity is going to greatly enhance our visitors experience on the tours we provide there. A special thank you must go out to Jim Manship of Manship Builders and David Calvin of Paradise Earth whose generous donations allowed us to raise the rest of the funds needed to complete the project.

Arizona Game and Fish and PHS have taken their partnership to a new level beyond, Law Enforcement. We are presently participating in two new programs with the Department. The first is the narrow-headed garter snake breeding program in which we are housing a number of specimens for the purpose of propagation. Dan, Cale and myself joined Game and Fish personnel and volunteers on a collecting trip at Oak Creek Canyon this summer where we captured the snakes. Hopefully these animals will reproduce and the progeny will some day be repatriated back into habitats suitable for the successful survival.

Next we joined a Game and Fish sponsored round up of female red ear slider turtles from the pond in front of the Phoenix Zoo. Over a two day period we removed 120 female sliders, 7 soft shell turtles and 2 snapping turtles all of which have been illegally dumped into the pond. All these turtles are now in ponds at the sanctuary.

In November PHS took over the desert tortoise adoption program for Game and Fish in the Phoenix area. A number of pens have been constructed and PHS picked up a large number of cinder blocks from Adobe Mountain in Decemeber with a lot of help from volunteers from Luke Air Force Base. We still have several more loads of block to pick up in the near future from existing pens that are being dismantled. We at PHS would like to thank Arizona Game and Fish for the opportunity to participate in these additional projects and appreciate their confidence in our organization.

As always, PHS is constantly looking for qualified homes for adoptable reptiles. We have been very successful this year in the placement of illegally imported animals brought into Arizona. In 2007, PHS has secured homes for 53 venomous reptiles in zoos and educational facilities across the United States and have forged several strong relationships with eligible facilities that have committed to accepting future shipments. This really helps take the pressure off our holding facility.

I want to thank all of you that have given your time to help PHS have a banner year and to the public who have made generous donations that allow us to take care of these magnificent creatures. We have many projects scheduled for 2008 including our annual Casino Night Fundraiser.

Russ Johnson