I founded L.A.R.E. in 2012 in my personal capacity and the information below is complementary to the Facebook group, where most L.A.R.E. activity occurs. I am operating solely in my personal and unpaid volunteer capacity with all L.A.R.E. activities.
Mission Statement
To bring together all those interested in the search for and conservation of Louisiana's wild amphibians and reptiles through the sharing of discussions, questions, pictures, and trip reports on Facebook, guided field trips, and citizen science projects, while also seizing every opportunity to educate others in order to foster an appreciation for, and thus, promote conservation of Louisiana's amazing diversity of amphibians and reptiles.
Upcoming Planned Activities
April 27, 2024 - Sweet Tea and Free Trees Outreach Event, Pearl River
Summer, 2024 - 12th Annual L.A.R.E. Summer Field Trip, TBD
This group is primarily based on Facebook but have an Internet presence for those people interested in our group that are not on social media. If anyone not on Facebook is interested in joining our group, going on our field trips, or possibly helping out with our citizen science projects or educational events please contact me at the above "Ask Me!" link.
Our YouTube Channel is where anyone in the L.A.R.E. group can upload videos of Louisiana amphibians and reptiles doing interesting things. Many of our videos are of calling frogs but we also have other interesting behaviors captured, such as courtship behaviors in a pair of Cottonmouths and some territoriality disputes in lizards.
Our Fact Sheets are occasionally produced in a series to highlight certain species or certain conservation issues in Louisiana. Our inaugural fact sheet in late 2017 highlighted the plight of box turtles inthe state, whereas Fact Sheet #2 was an overview of the five subspecies of North American Racers found in Louisiana. Stay tuned for more Fact Sheets!
Our Coloring Pages are a new product that L.A.R.E. brgan producing in early 2018. These pages feature a wild Louisiana amphibian or reptile along with a couple of facts about the species and a representative color photo of the animal depicted in the illustration. Illustrations are contributed pro bono by talented L.A.R.E. artists. Printed copies of the coloring pages are handed out at educational events that L.A.R.E. particpates. Stay tuned for more Coloring Pages in the works!
Our Checklists list the scientific and standard English names of all native species of amphibian and reptiles in Louisiana along with established exotic species. The lists also gives both state and federal conservation status. These lists must be updated as we learn more about these species. The first edition was in 2014 and second followed in 2015. The most recent 3rd edition is from early 2018.
L.A.R.E. participates in a diverse array of events where we aim to educate the public about Louisiana’s amphibians and reptiles. We have particpated yearly in many events including Wild Things in Lacombe, World Wetlands Day at Audubon Zoo, Arbor Day at Tuten Park, and the Stir the Pot festival at Palmetto Island State Park. We have also been asked to educate children and special outdoor groups and give seminars to Master Naturalists. Check out the upcoming events for the next outreach event near you!
One of the most popular aspects of L.A.R.E. is our quarterly field trips. We have done 4 trips per year since our inception to lands owned by all sorts of state, federal and non-governmental organizations. We always provide the land manager a field trip report with a group photo and a list of the species and how many of each we found during our field trip. These events bring together many folks with similar interests and has been responsible for many new friendships. Check out the upcoming events for our next field trip!
One of the goals of L.A.R.E. was to engage citizens in the scientific process through citizen science work. We performed an amphibian and reptile survey for two years at Palmetto Island State Park in 2014-2015. At the conclusion of surveys, we developed a beautiful trifold brochure of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Palmetto Island State Park that can be had at the entrance station to the park. It is replete with the list of species that we found, some natural history, and plenty of photos.
L.A.R.E. opportunistically will produce helpful educational graphics to to assist learning. They may be graphics to help identify particular species from closely related ones or to alert citizens of invasive species.
Other LARE-Assisted Activities
L.A.R.E. is often asked to assist in bioblitzes where participants try to find as many species as possible in a defined amount of time in a particular park or area. Most times they also ask for taxa experts to lead groups and to confirm idenitfications. L.A.R.E. members commonly participate in these events, particularly the annual events that BREC organizes in Baton Rouge. We have also done a couple at the Audubon Nature Center in New Orleans East.
Identification and Natural History of Snakes of Acadiana
This is a presentation that L.A.R.E. has given upon request to folks from the greater Lafayette area. It will help to identify snakes and learn about their natural history. The presentation also delves into why snakes are important members of the ecosystem and many of the myths and misconceptions that are out there. It touches on snakebite and reducing snake encounters. Much of the material covered in this presentation is applicable to the entire state.
“In the end we will conserve only what we love.
We
will love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we
are taught.”
- Baba Dioum, Senegalese Conservationist
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