Kansas Herpetological Society

2025 KHS Summer Field Trip
2025-07-25 - 2025-07-27 | Bourbon State Fishing Lake, 20th St,, Uniontown, KS, 66779, United States
Bourbon State Fishing Lake
37.797264, -95.065253

2025 KHS Spring Field Trip
2025-04-25 18:00 - 2025-04-27 12:00 UTC | Cedar Valley Reservoir, 6 miles S, 2 miles W of Garnett, KS
The field trip campsite will be at Cedar Valley Reservoir, SW of Garnett in Anderson County.
Tent camping will be $5.80 for the two nights.

KHS 51st Annual Meeting
2024-11-01 18:00 | Sternberg Museum of Natural History, FHSU, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, KS, 67601, United States
1-3 November 2024
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Registration
2024 Program
Submitted Papers and Posters

Friday:
Professional Development: Cale Morris (Phoenix Herpetological Society) will provide up to two hands-on workshops focused on the proper handling and transport of venomous snakes. Live snakes from the display collections in the Sternberg Museum of Natural History will be used in each workshop. Sessions will be 3 hours in length and will provide an opportunity for each participant to learn and practice appropriate techniques and procedures with LIVE ANIMALS. Sessions are limited to 15 persons each. Fees are $50 for students and $100 for non-students.
Friday Night Social
Special Brew for the 51st meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society!
The local committee has partnered with Defiance Brewing Company, Hays, KS, to produce a small batch-themed beverage for the Annual Meeting – Chihuahuan Gold! A Mexican lager with a custom label featuring one of our favorite herps in western Kansas. Our own, Jacob Alexander produced the custom label for the brew. The launch of this beer will be at the social Friday, November 1, so you won’t want to miss it.
The Friday Night Social will be at Defiance Downtown, 111 W. 7th Street, Hays, starting at 5 pm, but doors will open at 4:30. Defiance Downtown has pizza and burgers and plenty of vegetarian options. Please RSVP for the social on the KHS website when you register for the meeting.
Hotel Contracts:
Comfort Inn & Suites
1001 E. 41st St.
Hays, KS 6760
(785) 625-9327
KS608@stayatchoice.com
$89 Single; $89 Double
Book by 4 October
Hampton by Hilton
4002 General Hays Road
Hays, Kansas 67601
(785) 621-4444
Option for online booking will be directed to the official link for our property:
Hampton Inn Hays, KS Hotel North of I-70 (hilton.com)
Enter “KHS” on the reservation website or reserve over the phone for the special rate.
Book by 21 October
$119 (singles and doubles)
Saturday:
7:30 am – 4:30 pm: Registration Open. 2nd Floor of the FHSU Memorial Union. 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601.
9:00 am: Welcome message followed by Keynote Speaker Cale Morris, Phoenix Herpetological Society.
6:00 pm: Social, Poster Session, and Live Auction at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. 3000 Sternberg Dr.
Sunday:
8:00 am: Registration Open.
9:00 am: Oral presentations start. The KHS Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony will take place at the end of presentations, immediately before the adjournment of the Annual Meeting.

KHS 2024 Fall Field Trip
2024-09-27 16:00 - 2024-09-29 12:00
Location: To be determined

KHS 2024 Summer Field Trip
2024-06-28 18:00 - 2024-06-30 12:00
Location: To be determined.

KHS 2024 Spring Field Trip
2024-04-26 06:00 - 2024-04-28 12:00
We will camp at West Park in Fredonia. There are bathroom facilities.
There are several motels in the area as well.
We will gather at the campsite and carpool to the first field trip location at 9 AM on Saturday, 27 April.
At 1:30 PM we will again meet at the campsite and carpool to the next site.
Finally, at 9 AM Sunday morning we will meet and carpool to the last field site.

50th Annual Meeting
2023-11-03 - 2023-11-05 | University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
KHS 50th Annual Meeting
3—5 November 2023 – University of Kansas, Lawrence

INFORMATION
PROGRAM

REGISTRATION
HOSPITALITY/PARKING

KHS ANNUAL MEETING CALL FOR PAPERS, POSTERS, AND AUCTION ITEMS:
The 50th annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society will be held 3-5 November 2023 on the University of Kansas, Lawrence campus. Scientific paper sessions and general meeting activities will be held in the Burge Union, while the annual KHS Auction and associated festivities will be held in the historic Oread Hotel.
Effective immediately, the Society accepts titles for talks to be presented at the meeting.
Are you looking for an alternative to costly national herpetological meetings held in large cities with too many registrants (and where you only have a cash bar)? Try the KHS.
Regional meetings are ideal venues for graduate students. The KHS annual meeting allows herpetologists and other like-minded individuals interested in amphibians and reptiles to share and discuss. There is ample opportunity for socializing in a collegial and supportive atmosphere. Meeting registration is only $50 ($25 for students and includes membership).
Herpetologists at all levels of expertise are encouraged and urged to give scientific paper presentations. An award and stipend of $200 (The George Toland Award for Ecological Research on North American Herpetofauna) will be presented for an outstanding student presentation at the end of the meeting, so students are strongly encouraged to participate. The $100 Meshaka Award for best poster will also be awarded. The Suzanne L. & Joseph T. Collins Award for Excellence in Kansas Herpetology is also a $1,000 prize. Being an odd-numbered year, the Collins Award will be awarded for the best photograph.
On Friday, tours of the Herpetology collection and Fitch Natural History Reservation will be followed by a social that evening.
The annual fund-raising auction will held at the Oread Hotel on Saturday evening. The KHS will provide FREE BEER, SOFT DRINKS, and SNACKS. Please bring herpetological items for the auction. PLEASE DO NOT BRING LIVING OR DEAD ANIMALS. No specimens or body parts of herpetofauna will be sold at auction.”
UPDATE: Friday 13 October 2023
We’re a mere three weeks away from KHS’s 50th Annual Meeting! I can’t believe time has flown by already. The KHS Local Committee and Executive Council are working hard to wrap up loose ends and get everything in place! KHS President Rafe Brown will send out a message on Monday to help fill you in on updated details for the meeting and generally lay out a lot of information for you. Until then, I have some time-sensitive things to advertise!
Friday Afternoon Tours
Folks wishing to tour the Fitch Natural History Reserve and/or the KU Natural History Museum Herpetology Collections may SIGN UP HERE. These tours are free but require early sign-up due to the limited capacity for each group. No transportation is provided, but if you need a ride, you can likely contact someone else in the time slot you hope to attend. The meeting location and contact information for each tour are in the sign-up sheet. Tours are first-come, first-serve, so don’t dawdle!
Fitch Reserve: Four one-hour time slots are available between noon and 4 p.m. on Friday, 3 November. Each time slot has a capacity for 25 attendees. KHS President Rafe Brown and KU Field Station Education Program Coordinator Wendy Holman will guide attendees on a historical tour up the Roth Trailhead, where Henry S. Fitch conducted his more than 50 years of snake research. Due to ongoing research at the site, the KU Field Station asks that attendees not turn cover, natural or artificial.
KU Museum of Natural History: Three one-hour time slots are available between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, 3 November. The University of Kansas is home to the US’s fourth-largest collection of preserved amphibians and non-avian reptiles. The collection is global in scope, with a significant sampling of the Philippines and the Neotropics. The collection is also very active, with thousands of new specimens added yearly and thousands more sent out on loan to other researchers. KU Herpetology Curator Rich Glor and Collections Manager Ana Motta will lead groups of up to 20 on behind-the-scenes peeks at these unique and diverse collections.
Friday Night Social-Trivia Sign Up
The Friday Night Social will feature a KHS favorite, Herp Trivia! Due to capacity restraints within the trivia venue, there’s only space for 80 people to participate. Please SIGN UP HERE if you’d like to form a team to test your brain against KHS’s finest! If you want to be a team of 1 to duel all the others, even better! The Social is from 6:30-9:30 and features plenty of space for non-trivia folks to mingle and chat throughout the public side of KU’s Dyche Museum of Natural History. Herp Trivia will be from ~7-9 pm.
NEW Student Travel Grants!
Due to the increased cost of this year’s meeting, KHS has solicited an anonymous donor to sponsor travel grants to help offset the costs of attendance. The donor is willing to sponsor five $100 travel grants to students but asks that we try to raise more. So, KHS is soliciting donations in multiples of $100 or more to help match this generous offer! Currently, KHS can offer six travel grants to students for $100 each!
These grants will be handed out raffle-style. Any student registered and attending the KHS meeting who wants financial help to offset costs may APPLY HERE to be included in the drawing. The application deadline is 27 October. All applicants will be entered into an online randomizer to pick the recipients. Student winners will be notified by 30 October and receive a check at the KHS Awards Ceremony.
The Gann Scholarship for Women in Herpetology
Long-time KHS member Eva Gann wants to honor and lift up the women of herpetology and has established a scholarship to support this goal! Announced at last year’s meeting, details are finally available for the Gann Scholarship for Women in Herpetology! I apologize for the lateness of this announcement; we’ve moved the general application date to accommodate this.
Nominations for the scholarship ($300.00) are open to any AFAB or female-presenting KHS member enrolled in an accredited educational institution. The scholarship is awarded based on the potential for contributing to the science of herpetology and being a role model for the future of women in STEM. Students from high school through university are eligible. Self-nomination is encouraged. If self-nominated, a letter of reference from an academician is required. Nominations should include typewritten details of the nominee’s qualifications, plus the name and address of the nominee and nominator.
Nominations should include, but are not limited to, academic records, herpetological activities, and plans in herpetology. Academic records should address schools attended and indicate academic performance (e.g., grade point average, teacher evaluations, courses completed, etc.). Herpetological activities should include a brief narrative that details experiences and activities that demonstrate a long-term interest in herpetology and document accomplishments in herpetological study. Plans in herpetology should include a statement, not to exceed one page, written by the student about his/her future interests and plans. Applicants may include an optional appendix with photographs, awards, newspaper articles, reports written by the student, or other documents relevant to herpetological activities.
Applications should be emailed to KHS Awards Committee Chair Dan Fogell at dfogell@ southeast.edu by Nov 1st.

2023 Summer Field Trip
2023-07-21 17:00 - 2023-07-23 17:00
Cimarron National Grassland, Morton County, Kansas.

2023 Spring Field Trip
2023-05-05 - 2023-05-07 | Camp Hunter, Humboldt, KS, 66748, United States
We will be camping at Camp Hunter on the southwest edge of Humboldt.
https://www.humboldtkansas.com/parks

Camp Hunter has 17 electrical hookups, a shower house, and free Wi-Fi. The City of Humboldt has reduced the rate for camping to $10/5 tents. If you need to arrange an electrical hookup, please call the City office.
We will meet at 9 am Saturday to caravan to a site to herp together and then again on at 9 am Sunday.

KHS 2022 Annual Meeting
2022-11-04 - 2022-11-06
The KHS 2022 Annual Meeting will be held on the campus of Missouri Southern University in Joplin, Missouri on 4-6 November.
Register for the 2022 Annual Meeting Now
Call for Papers and Posters
KHS ANNUAL MEETING CALL FOR PAPERS, POSTERS, AND AUCTION ITEMS:
The 49th annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society will be held 5-6 November 2022 at Missouri Southern State University, 3950 E Newman Road, Joplin, MO 64801. Scientific paper sessions and general meeting activities will be held in the Billingsly Student Center Ballroom while the annual KHS Auction and associated festivities will be held at the North End Zone facility across campus. Effective immediately, the Society is accepting titles for talks to be presented at the meeting.
Looking for an alternative to costly national herpetological meetings held in large cities with way too many herpetological registrants (and where you only have a cash bar)? Try the KHS. Regional meetings are the future and great venues for graduate students. The KHS annual meeting provides an opportunity for herpetologists and other like-minded individuals interested in amphibians and reptiles to come together for scientific lectures and friendly intellectual discussion. There is ample opportunity for socializing in a collegial and supportive atmosphere. Meeting registration is only $20 ($10 for students).

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Rulon Clark. Dr. Clark is an integrative biologist from San Diego State University and has an extensive publication record on diverse systems including behavior, natural history, physiology, biomechanics, and foraging ecology. Dr. Clark will be presenting portions of his work on rattlesnakes in his keynote address titled “The feeding ecology and hunting behavior of free-ranging rattlesnakes.” You will not want to miss this!

Herpetologists at all levels of expertise are encouraged and urged to give scientific paper presentations. An award and stipend of $200 (The George Toland Award for Ecological Research on North American Herpetofauna) will be presented for an outstanding student presentation at the end of the meeting, so students are strongly encouraged to participate. The $100 Meshaka Award for best poster will also be awarded. Additionally, the Suzanne L. & Joseph T. Collins Award for Excellence in Kansas Herpetology, a $1,000 prize. Being an even numbered year, the Collins Award will be awarded for the best publication/presentation.
The annual fund-raising auction held at the MSSU North End Zone facility on Saturday evening. KHS will provide FREE BEER, SOFT DRINKS, and SNACKS. Please bring herpetological items for the auction. Hold them and bring them to the auction site Saturday evening. We count on you to bring items about amphibians, or reptiles, and other stuff oriented to herpetology. PLEASE DO NOT BRING LIVING OR DEAD ANIMALS. No specimens or body parts of herpetofauna will be sold at auction.”

KHS 'Fall' Field Trip
2022-09-16 - 2022-09-18
Elk City State Park
https://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Elk-City
More details to come.

KHS Summer Field Trip
2022-06-24 - 2022-06-26
Historic Lake Scott State Park
https://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Historic-Lake-Scott
More details to come.

KHS Spring Field Trip
2022-04-15 - 2022-04-17
Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1
https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWP-Info/Locations/State-Fishing-Lakes/Northeast-Region/Pottawatomie-Lake-No.-1
More details to follow.

KHS 2021 Annual Meeting
2021-11-05 - 2021-11-07 | Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, United States
2021 Annual Meeting — Call for Papers and Posters
Deadline: Friday 29 October 2021, or when all the slots have filled up
All meeting activities will strictly follow PSU’s official COVID-19 policy. As of August 2021, masks are to be worn while indoors when physical distancing isn’t possible. Updates will be posted regularly.

KHS 2021 'Fall' Field Trip
2021-09-24 18:00 - 2021-09-26 12:00
C²T Ranch – Ellis County – https://www.c2tranch.com/
Camping will be $10/night.

2021 KHS Summer Field Trip
2021-07-16 - 2021-07-18 | Sappa Park
Sappa Park
Jul 16 at 6 PM CDT – Jul 18 at 12 PM CDT
Sappa Park is just NE of Oberlin. It has electric hookups for $10/night; primitive camping is free, and there are toilets.

2021 KHS Spring Field Trip
2021-05-07 - 2021-05-09 | Cowley State Fishing Lake
Cowley State Fishing Lake
May 7 at 6 PM CDT – May 9 at 12 PM CDT
KHS field trips are free and the public is welcome to attend.
Participants will begin arriving Friday night, with the first scheduled activities to take place Saturday morning at 9 am, then again at ~1 pm, and again Sunday morning at 9 am before the group heads to their respective homes around noon.
Be sure to check the weather and dress appropriately. Sturdy shoes and leather gloves (for lifting rocks) are helpful.

KHS 2020 Annual Meeting
2020-11-06 18:00 - 2020-11-08 12:00
Lawrence, KS.
Details to follow.

KHS 2020 'Fall' Field Trip
2020-09-25 18:00 - 2020-09-27 12:00 | Hollister Wildlife Area
Camping at Elm Creek Lake.

KHS 2020 Summer Field Trip
2020-07-17 18:00 - 2020-07-19 12:00 | Kingman County State Lake
Camping at Kingman County State Lake. Signs will be up, leading to the campsite, by late afternoon on Friday.

KHS Inagurual HerpDrive contest rules, species points list, and scientific collection permit.

KHS 2020 Spring Field Trip - CANCELED
2020-04-24 18:00 - 2020-04-26 12:00
Camping at Cowley County State Lake.

KHS 2019 Annual Meeting
2019-11-01 17:00 - 2019-11-03 12:00
Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas

KHS 2019 Fall Field Trip
2019-09-13 17:00 - 2019-09-15 17:00 | KS, United States
Meade County State Park, Kansas

KHS 2019 Summer Field Trip
2019-07-26 17:00 - 2019-07-28 17:00 | Hamilton County, Kansas
Hamilton County, Kansas

Russell County Herp Count PM
2019-05-18 13:00 - 16:00
Location to be determined. Check back.
Will follow lunch (bring your own) after morning herp count.

Russell County Herp Count AM
2019-05-18 09:00 - 12:00
Location to be determined. Along the Saline River valley. Will break for lunch (bring your own) and head to the next herp count.

KHS 2019 Spring Field Trip
2019-04-26 17:00 - 2019-04-28 12:00
Former KHS President and long-time member Dan Johnson, has worked out details that will permit the KHS to center their Spring Field Trip activities around the Flying W Ranch (https://www.flinthillsflyingw.com/). (Google Earth .kmz)
Dan has put together the following announcement.
The 2019 Spring Field trip will be Friday, April 26 – Sunday, April 28.
We have an exciting weekend planned!
This year Flying W Ranch, Clements, KS (37 miles west of Emporia) will be the site for both lodging, camping, and herping.
KHS members will gather as early as Friday evening (26 April 2019). KHS signs will be posted. Field trip forays will be held on the 3500-acre ranch in Chase County. KHS herpetofaunal counts will officially take place from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday (27 April 2019) and on Sunday morning (28 April 2017) from 9:00 am to noon. Individuals wishing to participate should meet at the group campsite at Flying W Ranch’s lodge and cabins on both dates at 9:00 am. More information is available at KHS 2019 Spring Field Trip – Kansas Herpetology Facebook Group. KHS Field Trips are open to anyone interested in learning more about the Kansas herpetofauna. Participants need not be members to participate, though they are certainly encouraged to join. So feel free to bring your family, friends, and social groups to enjoy a truly unique area of Kansas. The Flying W Ranch has set aside the Lodge, Bunkhouse, and Cabins for this year’s event. Lodging will go quickly, just an FYI!
Check out the website – https://www.flinthillsflyingw.com/lodging/
Please call (620-340-2802) to make reservations for lodging and meals.
Lodging – $65/person/night for adults; kids 2 – 17 years of age are $25/person/night
Camping – $10.75/night/person for one night; $21.50 for 2 nights (kids and adults are the same prices). Bring your own water. No showers are available. Tent campers don’t need to register in advance.
RV/Campers – $10.75/night/person. Those wanting to bring their RV or Camper – this needs to be arranged prior to the event. There are no electrical hookups or water hookups available.
Meals – Breakfast (both Saturday and Sunday morning) – $15/person; kids 10 – 4 years of age are $7.50/person Supper – $25/person; kids 10 – 4 years of age are $12.50/person Advance reservations required! We need a minimum of 25 hungry herpers each meal!
Flying W Ranch is relatively remote and dining is limited. Closest dining is 17 miles away in Strong City or 37 miles away in Emporia. We plan to have a Saturday evening campfire dinner and Saturday and Sunday morning breakfast if there is enough interest. These need to be arranged prior to the event. If lodging is booked, the closest location is Clover Cliff Ranch, about 5 miles up the road – https://www.clovercliffranch.com/
NEWS FLASH!! Wagon Rides on the Prairie – $255 for the wagon ride for up to 25 guests. $10/person after the 25 number. This is an hour-long wagon ride along country roads. During the ride, the owners tell about the history and folklore of the area and its inhabitants. No advance reservations needed.

Ellis County Easter Weekend Herp Count
2019-04-20 12:00 - 15:00 | KS, United States
Location to be determined. Greenhorn Limestone NE Ellis County along the Saline River valley.
