The Calusa Herpetological Society Of Southwest Florida

This Month's Meeting

Thursday, April 1, 2004  - 7:00 pm

TONIGHT’S  SPEAKER  - Ray Ashton will be here from Gainesville to tell and show us how he uses research on gopher tortoise behavior in maintaining our other species of tortoises for assurance colonies.  He will be talking about raising  spider,  radiated,  Indian star, Chaco,  sulcata and marginated tortoises in semi-wild conditions at his tortoise research center, Finca de la Tortuga (Ashton Biological Preserve).  Ray has noted that tortoises maintained almost naturally rarely get sick, and will share with us a wealth of other knowledge about keeping and breeding tortoises. 

MEETING SITE : In Ft. Myers, Florida at the Calusa Nature Center , near Colonial Blvd. (S. R. 884) and Interstate 75. Get off I-75 at exit #136 (old exit #22) and go west (towards the coast) on 884 (Colonial Blvd.) for one-half mile, then turn right at the first traffic light onto Ortiz Ave., and then left into the Nature Center after only one-quarter mile. The Iona House meeting site is an older dark green house located to the left (as you enter the grounds) at the rear of the complex, back near where the school busses are parked.  The meeting opens at 7:00 pm, and the speaker usually starts no later than 7:15 pm.  Click HERE for a map to the meeting site.  After each meeting, all attendees are invited to join "the core" for an informal nightcap at RJ Gator's Restaurant / Sports Bar on Colonial Blvd. where we usually gather following meetings which end at 8:30 pm.

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 35 – 70 people attending every meeting.

Cookies and cold soda, a nightly raffle of live herps, herp products, and books follow each speaker's talk, and lots of herp camaraderie, gossip, and fun can be counted upon at all meetings !

For more info , call (239) 728-2390 or (239) 481-3525 or  EMAIL: info@calusaherp.org