Ashton Biological Preserve

This week is Frog Drinks, and we can't wait! This Thursday, December 7th, we'll be joined by Wildlife Biologist Natalie Claunch, Ph.D. for a talk, "Project Cybermander: community science in salamander disease ecology." Don't forget to join us from 6 to 9 p.m. at First Magnitude in Gainesville, and be sure to bring your "Frequent Frogger" card!

We always enjoy seeing our endemic species taking advantage of the tortoise barns, during a cold night. 🦎

Coming Soon To A YouTube Near You! 🐢

It’s time their story was told…before it’s too late.

Catch the Gopher Games documentary, the story of development’s destruction of the gopher tortoise population along with the rest of Florida’s wild spaces.
Coming to YouTube and public screenings in early 2024!

The Antioquian sac-winged bat is so rare that pictures of it are nearly impossible to come by. Until recently, it was thought to be extinct. Now that they've been rediscovered, it's essential to protect their habitat, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Unfortunately, it's being heavily impacted by mining and illegal timber harvesting.
Tapping DONATE right now will help us:

- Preserve 1,200 acres of forest in Colombia.🌳
- Protect 66 caves 🕳️
- Support 55 other bat species that share the habitat! 🦇

and ultimately save the Antioquian sac-winged bat from extinction, and finally be able to share a good picture. ❤️

Make a gift OF ANY AMOUNT and we’ll ship you an “I love bats sticker” and exclusive print of the Antioquian sac-winged bat. Email [email protected] to get yours! 😍

Our ponds are mighty thirsty! ⛈

Save Split Oak Forest • Florida Wildlife Federation On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, the FWC will consider releasing its perpetual conservation easement over Split Oak Forest to allow a toll highway and facility to bisect the area.

Florida Sandhills 🐢🐍🦂

We had a great time with UFCOM (UF College of Medicine). Who recently came out, to the preserve, for their first visit!

We were thrilled to recently give a presentation to the UF Wildlife Society. Thank you Joseph!

Ashton will be giving a presentation at the Nature Coast Unitarian facility this evening at 6:30. Presentation will be geared towards the Gopher Tortoise, as well as conservation initiatives within Florida. Anyone within the area is welcome to attend. 7633 N Florida Ave, Citrus Springs, FL 34434

We thoroughly enjoy occasionally seeing our resident kings & queens of the sky 🦅

We had another great visit with the Society for Conservation Biology!

Happening across the state Floridians. Keep a close eye on your shelled neighbors. They need the support more then ever.

Buried alive? Gopher tortoise burrows collapsed in Lehigh Acres; major work halted 30 days Neighbor did everything by the book well in advance, yet gopher tortoise burrows were still destroyed on Lehigh Acres lot. Now, she wants to know why

Reptiles can fill an equally important niche in captivity as dogs, cats, and other commonly kept animals. In the right situations and settings, this includes our incredible natives. Having native species creates an opportunity to educate neighborhood kids, friends, and family about species that are found within their own backyards. At some point, these individuals will, most likely, encounter the same or similar species within a natural setting. The first-hand experiences from these interactions can influence folks to have more positive outlooks on our native animals and the ecosystems they live in. People will often react to their future encounters with much more comfort, curiosity, and happiness than they would if their only experience came from the over-dramatized stories portrayed by media. There are reputable captive breeders for a few of our native species, as well as rehabbed animals that are deemed non-releasable due to their injuries. These can be great sources to look for if you want to experience the benefits of having native reptiles without having to take healthy, functional individuals from our often already at-risk wild populations!

We had a great time with the Santa Fe EMT students! Looking forward to their next visit!

We would like to give a huge Thank You to the Jacksonville Herpetological Society, for all their support! They not only support Ashton's conservation efforts, but they support various other conservation organizations, and initiatives. 🐢🐍

Meeting tomorrow night Alachua!
It is important for community members to attend the Alachua County Commission meeting on Nov. 7 at 5:00 PM to consider and take public comment on a Special Area Study for the Hickory Sink Strategic Ecosystem/Lee Property in southwestern Alachua County. The meeting will be held at the Alachua County Administration Building, 12 E 1st St., 2nd floor, in downtown Gainesville.

Last year, there was discussion about a large-scale development on more than 4,000 acres known as the Lee Property. Much of this land, which is west of Haile and east of the City of Newberry, is in a designated Strategic Ecosystem called Hickory Sink. It is an important aquifer recharge area and has environmentally sensitive features.
The proposal would modify 580 acres of the property to Institutional Use. If approved, the University of FL would build a 36-hole golf course along with a 200,000 sq ft facility along with 30 cabins to house elite golfers.

We don’t need another golf course, and certainly not in this exceptionally important area that is home to many imperiled plants and animals.
It's essential to let Alachua County and University of FL know that we care about this land, and that we need to preserve this land now, and for generations to come.

We had a great time with PAWS (People for Animal Wellness). Who recently visited the Preserve. We are looking forward to your next visit!

Great information by The Orianne Society that will help with future conservation and management decisions for indigo snakes and their habitat. A single species can have such different habits and preferences in different parts of its range, so it’s important to understand this regional variation in order to make the most informed decisions in management.

Indigo snakes present an interesting case study of shelter site use in a terrestrial snake because of the latitudinal differences apparent in indigo snake ecology. So where do indigo snakes shelter? Find out on the latest Science of Scales:

https://www.oriannesociety.org/science-of-scales/where-do-indigo-snakes-shelter/

Frog Drinks tomorrow evening folks! 🐸
6:00 - 9:00 at First Magnitude Brewery.

Happy (early) Halloween from your Frog Drinks friends! 🎃

This week is Frog Drinks at First Magnitude Brewing Company! We're getting together from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, November 2nd to learn all about social sciences and wildlife conservation from Chelsey Crandall, the leader of the Florida FWC's Center for Conservation Social Science Research in the Wildlife Research Institute. We can't wait for her talk, "I’m a People Person: Why Wildlife Conservation Needs Social Science"!

Mark your calendars, set an alarm, and be sure to bring your "Frequent Frogger Club" card to Frog Drinks this week!

Putting up bat houses is a great way to actively work in conservation in your local area. Natural roosting sites like dead trees are often removed for being “unsightly” or being in area where they could cause damage if they fall down, and people don’t usually take kindly to bats living inside their homes either. When you build artificial roosting sites for them, you’re giving them a place to rest and stay safe from predators. Bats are beneficial for a variety of reasons, so encouraging coexistence between us and them can be a win-win for everybody!

"Home is the nicest word there is”.

We think bats would agree, which is why bat houses are so great! As an alternative to sharing your own home with bats, you can build your own bat box to install on your property. This is a fantastic way to get involved in conservation and learn more about local bat populations.

Bats pay back their rent by controlling mosquito and garden pest populations in your yard. They convert their meals into bat guano, which makes for a fantastic natural fertilizer!

Learn more about making your backyard more bat-friendly here: https://www.fws.gov/story/2021-09/backyard-bats



📸Courtney Celley/USFWS

Getting ready for Halloween 🎃

Spooky Sounds at Sea: Listening for Bats Offshore with USVs A Saildrone Explorer was equipped with an ultrasonic microphone and deployed off the coast of California to study bats.

If you are around Gainesville. Creatures of the Swamp", is going on till 3:00, at Swamp Head Brewery!

North Florida Prescribed Burn Association Join us as we improve forest land managementThe purpose of the North Florida Prescribed Burn Association (NFPBA) is to facilitate the safe and effective use of prescribed fire by promoting landowner cooperation and providing the resources, education, and training necessary to return fire to its plac...

Here is a video with Dan Pearson! A tortoise expert, speaking on threats that Radiated Tortoise's are facing.

WHY RADIATED TORTOISES ARE ENDANGERED with DAN PEARSON! Radiated Tortoises : DAYTONA REPTILE BREEDERS EXPO: PART 3Everything you want to know about Radiated Tortoises from the island of Madagascar!Palumbo's Python...

**Currently seeking applicants for scholarships in the amount of $500 to attend the Florida Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Training Course (in-person class***)*

The North Florida Prescribed Burn Association (NFPBA) is a 501c3 non-profit that promotes landowner cooperative use of prescribed fire in 17 counties in North Florida. NFPBA is a strong advocate for Prescribed Fire in Florida as a land management tool that benefits the safety of the public, the environment, and the economy of the state. To further that belief, the NFPBA is currently seeking applicants for scholarships in the amount of $500 to attend the Florida Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Training Course (in-person class). This course is offered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) from December 2023 –February 2024.
This scholarship is targeted towards individuals who are engaged in some aspect of public outreach or education where an enhanced understanding of Prescribed Fire in Florida will allow the applicant to be more effective with engaging and educating the general public about the value and necessity of prescribed fire in managing and maintaining Florida's environment. The ideal candidates would be from our primary operational area, which includes the Florida counties of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Gilchrist, Levy, Marion Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Union, and Volusia. However, we will accept applications from individuals outside of this area based on the applicant’s merit and background.
Find the application here: https://bit.ly/NFPBAscholarship
If you have any questions, please contact NFPBA Board Member, Bob Jenkins at
[email protected] or 904-237-6330.
Applications must be submitted by November 30, 2023 for consideration.

Incredibly Sad day for the wildlife community 😥. Ashton Crew members have networked with Nan over the years. We have witnessed the positive impact Nan has had on the animals, as well as the community. Her impact to conservation will ripple beyond comprehension. She will tremendously be missed, but not forgotten.

Here’s a great article highlighting the Young Leaders for Wild Florida Fall Fest this past Saturday. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to set up a table there and share our animals and experiences with others!

Young Gainesville leaders educate community on wildlife conservation - WUFT News Sevaral organizations shared information about the issues harming the ecosystem, including invasive species and groundwater contamination.

TODAY IS THE DAY!! It's great day for Get Buzzed for Buzztails 2023! at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park! Our team is leading the Fossils & Buzztails nature hike where we've already found EIGHT dusky pygmy rattlesnakes and a scarlet snake! Join us tonight to celebrate 🐍🐍 conservation, enjoy beer from local breweries 🍻, eat great food, meet researchers 🔬 doing conservation work for rattlesnakes, and participate in the online auction and Battle of the Buzztails! To participate in the online charity auction, go to givebutter.com/gb4b or our website to buy tickets to the event! See you tonight!

The Rattlesnake Conservancy This page is dedicated to conservation of all rattlesnake species.

Sneaking into the weekend with that Friday feeling!