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"Snakes and Lizards, Oh, My!"

Students in Y.E.S. camp search for reptiles, amphibians

Beverly Harvey

Opelika-Auburn News

Thursday, June 28, 2007

One of the most important things to remember when you’re searching for reptiles and amphibians in the woods is to be very quiet - because you can hear them scurrying.

That was just one of the field tips given by Auburn University biology doctorate student Kyle Barrett to a group of rising sixth- through ninth-graders in the Youth Experiences in Science course, "Snakes and lizards, oh, my!," on Wednesday.

The group spent over an hour in the woods at Chewacla State Park searching along a muddy creek bed, and under logs and rocks in the woods for live specimens of the creatures - reptiles and amphibians - they had been studying.

Before they had even entered the woods, Barrett spotted a lizard by the side of the road. But it quickly ran for cover and disappeared under a thick layer of leaves on the forest floor.

The budding herpetologists - armed with small fishnets - quickly found a number of two-lined and red-backed salamanders along the streambed and almost caught a leopard frog that was hanging out on the bank.

On land, the group spotted a small, gray snake and captured a tiny frog, a green anole lizard and two box turtles.

"Box turtles are one of the few turtles that close up like that," said Barrett, a herpetology major, as he held up a shy box turtle that was tucked safely inside its protective shell.

The turtle was found near a tree by Ty Browning, a rising eighth-grader at Sanford Middle School, who was standing away from the rest of the group while they were searching in the woods.

"I was just looking down, and I saw his head. He was moving," said Ty, who often catches reptiles and amphibians such as king snakes, salamanders and turtles near his home.

Ben Littleton, a Drake Middle School student, caught four salamanders that he quickly named - George, Stephen, Franklin and Jimmy - before letting them go near the creek bed.

The camp began on Monday, when the students got a chance to see and, if they wanted, to touch live examples of the animals they were studying, including a tiger salamander, Fowler’s toad, soft-shell turtle and an albino corn snake.

The students created posters and presentations about the various types of reptiles and amphibians to share what they had learned about the animals. Two groups of students even created songs about lizards and snakes.

Nolan Craig, a student at Carver Magnet School in Dothan, who owns a snapping turtle named "Squirt," made up a song about a snake called Fat Joe, who has a curly mustache.

On Tuesday, the group went to locations on the AU campus, including the Donald E. Davis Arboretum, to search for live specimens. They found a red-eared slider turtle and two-lined salamanders there, among others.

The three-day experience of learning about and getting up close to reptiles and amphibians in the lab and in the field helped to increase interest in the creatures for the students, even those who weren’t big fans of the animals before attending the camp."After I took this class, it’s like fun and stuff; I like them a lot better," said Elisabeth Lusche, a rising seventh-grader at Drake Middle School, who wants to be an aerospace engineer.

The summer program taught Elisabeth new things about reptiles and amphibians, which made the camp worthwhile to attend, she said, despite the fact that she "is really afraid of snakes."

Fellow camper Ty said he liked the "Snakes and lizards, oh, my!" course because it allowed him to spend time outside exploring the environment.

The snakes and lizards program is one of several courses introduced this year in the Y.E.S. summer camp, an educational outreach program sponsored by the AU College of Sciences and Mathematics.

Other science-based courses offered this year include "CSI Investigators," "Bacteria and Biotechnology" and "Mars Lander." Y.E.S. summer camp courses such as "River Creatures," "Loco for Legos" and "Medical Technology and Forensics" will be held in July.

Y.E.S. participants also enjoy tours of the College of Veterinary Medicine facilities, Southeastern Raptor Center and other areas on the AU campus. In addition, a number of students live in AU dorms while attending the summer camp.

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