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News and Needs
News
New Program Coming
“OLD NATURALIST VOLUNTEERS”
Most people have heard of the Earth Watch Travel Programs. This program is designed to support research through volunteer services and some fees paid to the program. This new program will be designed to encourage 2-4 individuals at a time to stay at the Preserve and help us with some very important work. For example we will need some technical people who know something about sound equipment to help us with our studies with tortoise communication. We also need Entomologists to help us with collecting a representative collection of insects and other invertebrates to expand our knowledge of the sandhill fauna of the Brooksville Ridge. We need bird banders to help us begin and carry out bird banding, both mist netting and trapping birds of prey. Our herbarium has been started and we have a great need for some botanical types out here.
We have a great facility to stay in, The Ashton’s are retirees (whatever that means) too and so it should be a great experience. We hope to have the plans worked out in early 2005 so we can begin signing people up for 2006. Also if you have any advice to give us from your past experiences please email it to us. Of course let us know if you are interested in participating.
Publications:
Tortoise Book Now Available: The Gopher Tortoise: A Life History
New Book on Reptile and Amphibian Distribution and Conservation Issues Just Came Out.
Meshaka, W.E. and K.M. Babbitt (editors) 2005. Amphibians and Reptiles, Status and Conservation In Florida. Kreiger Press. $66.50 to order 321-724-9542 or contact your local bookstore.
This book was put together by biologists to speak out about the key issues and potential circumstances that may prevail if some immediate steps are not made to correct conservation measures as a whole and on a species by species basis.
Ray Ashton was the author of the Gopher Tortoise chapter, spells out many of the issues and reasons why we have gotten into the current mess we are in.
This is a costly book but if you are serious about talking to the press or working with agencies, this book is a must.
Needs
New low frequency sound research requires special microphones, transmitters, receivers and recorders.
Most microphones, recorders and other equipment made for recording music and human sounds actually have devices built in to eliminate low frequency sound. We need to be able to record between 50 and 5 HZ. This equipment is available but expensive. Microphones are from $300 to $15,000 (for directional geophones used to record sound through the ground). Recorders are about $600-$1000 and we need transmitters to go to lap tops that do not distort sound that run about $500-$1000. Any donation of a piece of equipment or money toward purchase will be appreciated. Of course we hope to successfully apply for a grant as soon as we get our results from the preliminary work published.
We need an old pick pickup, small SUV, or all wheel drive vehicle.
We need a vehicle that is in good shape mechanically that can be driven by interns and visiting scientists. Many of our visitors are long term foreigners who do not have a vehicle to drive. This means that the Ashton’s private vehicles are used for this purpose and there is a shortage of vehicles. Think about donating your old vehicle in lieu of trading it in. Its tax deductible!! Give us a call or email to discuss it.
Hay Bale Donation Program
Need for "old" hay for use in Gopher Tortoise Conservation.
For more information, or to donate, read Hay Bales For Tortoises.
Donations
Ashton Biodiversity Donations
ABRPI is a non-profit (501 3c) organization.
Now you can make donations to Ashton Biodiversity through Paypal. Click here:
- OR -
Make donations to Ashton Biodiversity by sending a check payable to:
Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute
14260 W. Newberry Rd. #331
Newberry, FL 32669
Phone: 352-495-7449
Fax: 352-495-7433
E-mail: hypertortoise@aol.com
MANY THANKS!
We want to thank the many individuals who have donated money and other things to the Institute during 2004. Here is a partial list of special donors:
M.C. Davis Contributions and a challenge grant.
Mr. and Mrs. Eric R. Skov-Tortoises for our Pyxis Research Conservation International-Partial Funding for Pyxis Assurance Colony research.
David Dennis-Photos and assistance with the Gopher Tortoise Books
Mark Robertson-Research Equipment
Fauna Communications Research Institute (NSF support)-Loan of equipment and staff to help with preliminary studies of tortoise communication.
Robert Zappalorti-Donation
Annual Newsletter:
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