The sweat rolled down our smiling faces as we bumped along a rutted dirt road on a sweltering day back in July. The conversation in the van revolved entirely around reptiles and amphibians. Seven of us had managed to make the trip of a lifetime to one of the most biologically diverse pieces of real estate in the U.S. Our Bwana for the day was Whit Gibbons, author and Senior Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL). At around ten o'clock in the morning, with 4 hours of driving behind us, we arrived on the Savannah River Site (SRS) property.

The SRS is a circular piece of land, 20 miles in diameter, located next to Aiken, South Carolina on the Georgia border. It is owned and protected by the Department of Energy due to the presence of a weapons materials processing facility located at it's heart. This means that the general public is absolutely forbidden to access this land without clearance and a guide. The land surrounding the facility is almost completely undeveloped other than access roads. In many areas, it appears the same as it would have when Native Americans dwelled on it a thousand years ago. As would be expected, this land is a goldmine for scientific research. In 1951, the land was laid aside for the construction of the nuclear facility and the University of Georgia was asked to perform a plant and animal census. In 1961, UGA set up a permanent research laboratory on the SRS.

Whit began our trip with a tour of the SREL wildlife collection. A variety of reptiles and amphibians are kept in and behind the main building. There are donated, rescued and confiscated animals brought in by government agencies and private citizens. Stumpy, an American alligator who is missing his left front leg, apparently bit an Alabama woman about 15 years ago. When we visited, Stumpy was about 10 feet long and weighed 500+ lbs. Unfortunately we didn't know to bring a road kill with us to feed him. I'm sure when we return we'll have something for him.

The collection of turtles kept in outdoor tanks and ponds is very extensive. In one pond alone, there were over 300 species of turtles. A very impressive 100+ lb. Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macroclemys temminckii, was kept nearby in a very nice stock tank setup, fully equipped with white sandy bottom and live aquatic plants. Whit, a sinewy man, pulled him out and showed us the proper method of handling such a powerful animal. The gaping jaws of this amazing animal looked as if they could neatly sever a man's hand from his wrist.

Whit pointed out that adult turtles that he marked during research back in the 60's are still encountered today. Some are found by students who weren't even born when Whit marked them! It suddenly seemed remarkable to me that an Eastern Box turtle crossing the road in front of my car, for example, could be twice my age!

It was impossible for us not to be impressed with the snake room at the lab. A hypomelanistic Cottonmouth and an amelanistic Canebrake rattlesnake are among the specimens kept for educational outreach programs. There are also many other venomous and non-venomous snakes kept in the room in immaculate, well built display cages. Wisely, the room is under lock and key at all times.

A short while later, we loaded into a van and went out into the field. Whit drove us around to different research areas and enlightened us with his unique insight. Shortly after leaving the main building, we entered an area of pinewood habitat where Eastern Coral snakes had been found in the past crossing the road. With hooks in hand, we spread out and began searching for snakes. And yes, it wasn't exactly the ideal weather to be out herping, but nonetheless, we found a nice Carolina Pigmy rattlesnake within 10 minutes.

Our society VP, Micah Stancil found this S.m.miliarius under a piece of galvanized tin. For research purposes, tin had been laid out every 30 yards along a trail that covered several acres. This piece of tin happened to have a bowl shaped depression beneath it that the snake was hiding in.

We piled back into the van like a bunch of excited BoyScouts and visited several other areas. As we rode along, Whit filled us in on the research that is carried on at the Savannah River Site. Most of it revolves around the reptiles and amphibians found at the site.

After a filling lunch and friendly conversation at a nearby barbecue restaurant in Ellenton, researchers Tracey Tuberville and Kurt Buhlmann took us back to the field to continue herping. It was refreshing to ride through the virgin swamplands and forests without seeing other vehicles. Not to mention the fact that we were all delighted to just be out herping the SRS in the first place. The heat had obviously driven the majority of our quarry underground by mid-day but we did see a flock of wild turkeys and a few turtles, which apparently are quite abundant on the SRS.

Our last stop of the day was a place called Water Gap. This is an area with water filled swamps on either side of the road. The trees provided heavy shade and the swamp felt cooler than the open pine and oak forests on other areas of the SRS. This was ideal habitat for cottonmouths and we spotted 3 within a couple of minutes of our arrival. SHHS members Johnny Hester and Justin Gosnell captured one for us and brought it up to the van for a closer look. We examined him for a few minutes then released him back into his pristine home.

Kurt Buhlman (left) Tracey Tuberville (red shirt)

This was by far one of the most unique ecosystems that I've had the opportunity to visit and we couldn't have asked for more experienced, knowledgeable guides than the ones we had. After returning home and discussing the trip with some of the others, it sounds like everyone had a great time. ~CH