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FIU Herpetology Club: Minutes of October, 2001

The FIU Herpetology Club Graduate Student Organization was formed on 5 October, 2001. The following students were elected to official positions:

President: Cristina Ugarte, PhD candidate 
Vice-President: Emilie Verdon, MS student
Secretary: James Watling, PhD student
Treasurer: Alessandro Catenazzi, PhD student

Ralph Saporito, MS student, will serve as the alternate GSA representative. The other club member is Kirsten Hines. Dr. Maureen A. Donnelly will serve as 
faculty advisor for the club. The club will meet on a weekly basis.

Objectives of the club outlined at the 5 October meeting are as follows: (1) foster interest in amphibians and reptiles in Florida and elsewhere; (2) teach 
identification, sampling, conservation, and safe handling of local species; (3) provide an environment for the exchange of ideas related to herpetological 
research via weekly meetings, paper discussions, critiques, etc.; (4) preserve the herpetological collection housed at FIU; (5) conduct field trips to local 
sites in order to sample amphibians and reptiles.

Also on 5 October, the club members agreed on a budget which will be used to support herpetological sampling in south Florida. The total budget requested by 
the FIU Herpetology Club for fall, 2001 is $330.00, to be used as follows:
Headlamps (2): $150.00
Spotlight (1): $30.00
Food/Gas: $150.00

On 12 October the club met at the FIU museum in the biology building to begin salvaging the neglected herpetological collection at FIU. Present were Cristina 
Ugarte, Alessandro Catenazzi, Ralph Saporito, Kirsten Hines, Kevin Whelan, James Watling, Maureen Donnelly, and Keith Condon. Specimens too 
degraded to be salvaged were disposed of, and remaining specimens were cleaned, placed in fresh alcohol, and stored for later identification and use. 
Damaged jars used to store specimens were removed, and remaining jars were cleaned and put back in the museum for future use.

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