Ben Stegenga

Introducing our 2025 Membership Art Print! Few North American reptiles highlight the need to conserve large, forested areas with diverse habitats more than the Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), which moves through woods to reach various wetlands throughout the year.

Sampling is key to our #EasternIndigoSnake research. Measurements, disease/parasite swabs, and genetic samples, like those Jesus and Kira are collecting, help us assess the health and structure of Georgia’s indigo populations and identify potential #conservation threats.

🐍 Scientists worked with the Department of Defense’s Legacy Resource Management Program to develop a new method to monitor threatened eastern indigo snakes by analyzing the genetic information, or “eDNA,” they leave in the soil. Learn more here: research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/news/rele…

We are looking to hire a #Herpetology #Technician to support field-based herpetology projects in FL and GA. Fieldwork will include targeted surveys for Spotted Turtles, research on Eastern Indigo Snakes, and more. Deadline August 7th! Apply today: oriannesociety.org/careers/

I'm excited to have several of my photo prints in this year's @OrianneSociety Giving Tuesday raffle. Each photo showcases a species native to our imperiled longleaf pine ecosystems. Follow link for full print/prize list. Ticket sales end tonight at 9pm! oriannesociety.org/news/2023-givi…

LAST CHANCE to enter! Ticket sales to our 2023 #GivingTuesday Raffle will close today (Nov 27) at 9pm EST, and we will be announcing the winners tomorrow! Get your tickets today! oriannesociety.org/news/2023-givi… #rattlesnake #easterndiamondbackrattlesnake @stegenga @nkfherping

4 days left to enter our #GivingTuesday Raffle! Get your tickets before 9pm on Nov 27, winners will be drawn on Nov 28. 4 lucky winners will receive copies of The Field Herping Guide by Mike Pingleton and Joshua Holbrook! Get your tickets today! oriannesociety.org/news/2023-givi…

What’s inside a Gopher Tortoise burrow? Purchase tickets for our #GivingTuesday Raffle for Conservation, and you’ll have a chance to see for yourself! Enter our raffle from now until Nov 27th, and winners will be drawn on Nov 28. Get your tickets today! oriannesociety.org/news/2023-givi…

On #GivingTuesday, we want to thank you for supporting conservation by offering you a chance to win exclusive items in return. From now until Nov 27th, enter our 2023 GivingTuesday Raffle for a chance to win great prizes like this Orianne Society Hat, Magnet & Sticker bundle!

This #GivingTuesday, support conservation and stand a chance to win something in return! Now until Nov 27, enter our GivingTuesday Raffle for a chance to win great prizes like this 2024 Wall Calendar! Winners will be drawn on Nov 28! Details and prizes: oriannesociety.org/news/2023-givi…

Seed harvest is underway at the Longleaf Stewardship Center. In just a few days of collecting, we have managed to gather a couple hundred pounds of native groundcover. #OrianneSociety #LongleafStewardshipCenter #landmanagement #nativegroundcover #habitatrestoration

#PhotoOfTheMonth: Magdalena River Turtles - a Colombian endemic classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Read more about this species, and learn more about Callie Broaddus and her work to conserve threatened species through youth action. oriannesociety.org/photo-of-the-m…

We have a new publication in the journal Wetlands! We conducted a study, with collaborators from Virginia Tech and the FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to examine how duff layer removal impacted restoration efforts in fire-dependent wetlands. oriannesociety.org/science-initia…

We are hiring! The Orianne Society is looking to hire a Gopher Tortoise Management Technician to help improve habitat across southeastern Georgia for the Gopher Tortoise and other rare and endangered reptiles in the longleaf ecosystems. Apply today! oriannesociety.org/careers/

A new species of intertidal trapdoor spider...I had no idea. Definitely the coolest thing I've read in a while!

Our study reveals a new species of hooding and venom-spitting snake from Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands. The Nyanga rinkhals, Hemachatus nyangensis. Sadly, it may already be extinct. 🧵 Open access paper: bitly.ws/VTRq

Stumbled across a young #GopherTortoise while searching for seed collection areas at the Center. It’s always encouraging to see tortoises in young age classes as it is an indication of a healthy breeding population. #OrianneSociety #LongleafStewardshipCenter #conservation

Now accepting applications for our 2023 small grant program! We are looking to fund graduate student research projects that focus on reptile or amphibian #conservation or management in the southeastern US. The application deadline is November 17th, 5pm! oriannesociety.org/science-initia…

While conducting fieldwork we salvage a lot of #roadkill #reptiles to be deposited in natural history museums. These preserved #specimens are vital for research and conservation as each one contains a wealth of information that can be studied for decades to come. #OrianneSociety

The Minnesota Vikings are 0-3 #skol