The Calusa Herpetological Society Of Southwest Florida

Thursday, May 7, 2026 - 7:00 pm 

Speaker Information: This month's speaker will be Calusa Herp Society board member Whitney Hummel. The title of her talk is "Amphibian Responses to Habitat Change in Southwest Florida".

Whitney has been attending Calusa Herpetological Society meetings on and off since 2007 and currently serves as the Vice President. She recently graduated on May 2, 2026, with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Biology. She will be pursuing an M.S. in Biology beginning in Fall 2026, with plans to study our local chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia). During her undergraduate research and Honors College Thesis at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), she spent a year organizing and analyzing a 26-year FrogWatch dataset under the mentorship of Dr. Winn Everham and Dr. Andrew Durso. Because frog calls are produced by males, patterns in call frequency and species presence provided a consistent method for assessing amphibian communities. These acoustic data help position amphibians as bioindicators, often serving as early warning signs of environmental change within ecosystems.

Her herpetofaunal experience includes work at Archbold Biological Station in 2009 and 2010 on the Florida sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi). She also completed an internship with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) as a wildlife intern, where she worked with diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), mud Turtles (Kinosternon sp.), Florida box turtles (Terrapene bauri), and eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi). Additionally, she completed a GIS project on gopher tortoises through Audubon during the 2025–2026 academic year.

     After the meeting, you are invited to join us at a nearby restaurant (announced at the meeting) for more herp discussions and camaraderie over food and drinks. See you there! $5.00 for non-members per meeting or buy a year membership ($25 individual) or ($30 family/business). The address of the Calusa Nature Center is 3450 Ortiz Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33905.

WHO'S INVITED? You are! Anyone with an interest in any aspect of herpetology or herpetoculture is welcome to attend, learn, and exchange their experiences with our friendly membership. Come out to meet others who keep, breed or study reptiles and amphibians, and let them share their fascination with you. We average 10 - 20 people attending every meeting.