Once again Shawn Heflick of Python Hunters gave us permission to run this here so as to spread the word. Here are his guidelines

OK Everyone, here is a cheat sheet for the issues involving the Python/Mammal Study. I am doing this because there are a number of people speaking to the media that don’t understand what they are saying and are making a bugger of the issue. I know they mean well and for that I applaud their enthusiasm. It would be great if they realized they don’t have a good grasp on the issue and thus not really prepared to speak about it, but I know that is a pipe dream. So here is a cheat sheet so it is a little more clear and hopefully they can speak with a bit more education about the topic.

One of the first premises of science/research (in laymen’s terms…no offense) is that you try and account for every other possible factor that could be acting upon the problem at hand. When you have whittled down the other factors you can then start to consider your hypothesis (educated guess) and the weight with which it plays upon the problem. Before this is done, you typically would not even propose to publish or put forth your hypothesis in a formal format. I know the authors of this study know this and some are vetted scientists, and this is why I am a bit riled about this study/publication.

Here is a list of some of the OTHER FACTORS that were presumably NOT CONSIDERED or EVEN MENTIONED:

Natural Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle). Semi-drought conditions for the last decade.

Affects of high Mercury Levels.

Fire Regimes.

General Water Pollution.

Increased Alligator Population.

2 Record low winters with Hard FREEZE.

Change in Water Regimes (man-made).

Natural Cycles in Populations…Rabbits (7-10yrs), Deer, etc.

Top Down role of deer populations in ecological regimes (plant dynamics, etc) and effects on other taxonomic groups.

How can the other predator numbers increase if prey populations have plummeted?

Increase in coyote populations state wide.

Why are rabbit populations down in the extralimital areas where there are no pythons?

No mention of Feral Cats (FWC estimates 10-15 million in the state of Florida).

No mention of feral pigs.

What about Bird of Prey populations?

Have vulture and other scavenger populations increased? COYOTES?!

Tourist traffic patterns…increase/decrease?

Have mammals learned avoidance with regard to vehicle traffic?

Have speed limits decreased in the ENP?

Have more education/signage been implemented to slow visitors or make them more aware?

Did not reconcile the reported “Population Explosion” of Raccoons in Flamingo Campground with the 2 sightings of raccoons in the same year within the park?

You cannot use 1 year as a baseline for population studies!!!

No Statistical Analysis of the data .

I’ll stop there so it is not too much to digest. IF YOU NEED HELP JUST ASK ME and I‘ll gladly give some guidance.

Shawn K. Heflick, MS
Conservation Biologist

Reptile Apartment - "It's not a desire; it's an obsession to share our knowledge with those interested in herpetoculture."

Herpers, Birders, Naturalists…

I have decided that the best way to get data with reference to the Mammal Decline Study is to collect it ourselves. We are a large group and can collect the data needed with relative ease. I have put together a list of data points we need to collect (below) that will aid us in this endeavor.

Every time you are out in south Florida herping, sigh-seeing, or justdriving around and you see a species…collect this data on it and email to me at sheflick@aol.com. I will compile it and over time it should help to shed some light on what is happening with mammal populations (and herp populations) in the greater everglades area. This may evolve a bit as I think of more points, but this is a good start.

Date:
Time:
Road:
GPS Location:
or Mile Marker:
Weather:
Temperature:
Moon Phase:
DOR (Dead on Road):
or Live:
Species:
or Taxonomic Group:
Photo?

Special Notes:

Print out cards or sheets with this info on it to make it easier. It may be a little extra work, but it is time to step up to the plate!

WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Cheers,

Shawn K. Heflick
Conservation Biologist

Reptile Apartment - "It's not a desire; it's an obsession to share our knowledge with those interested in herpetoculture."

Now that I have your attention, something has been bothering me lately. As of late there have become an inordinate amount of people running their mouth about USARK and what they are doing for our niche community. People post and question their lobbying efforts and want to know where this or that dollar went and so on. I am not invalidating wanting more accurate reporting of expenditures. I for one do not agree with USARK 100% on everything they do or how they do things as an organization. There seems to be a large factor that many people are forgetting about.
Who else is fighting for us? Is there another entity that is being invited to testify in front of congress? In case you’re unaware as I was, you can only testify when you’re invited. PIJAC to my knowledge has been riding the coat tails of USARK on the reptile issues. So can you name another organization that is showing congress a united front when it comes to not only reptiles but exotic animals in a broader stance? I know I personally cannot.
I am not asking you to donate 10% of your income to the church of USARK. I donate & I will continue to do so. Again this is not to say that I agree with all of USARK activities etc. I will say this though, until there comes a time when you have a personal invite to congress to represent the thousands of reptile keepers who don’t get invited or acquire enough money to file a formal lawsuit against the US Government.
SHUT UP AND DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY BESIDES WHINE ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING SOMETHING!

Reptile Apartment - "It's not a desire; it's an obsession to share our knowledge with those interested in herpetoculture."