Herpetological Associates

Herpetological Associates, Inc., has been conducting bog turtle surveys and research since 1977. All HA staff are trained and experienced biologists in general, and are specialists in bog turtles and wood turtles. All staff have been expertly trained by Robert Zappalorti, who has extensive experience and has worked with numerous bog turtle biologists throughout the eastern United States for over 35 years. Robert Zappalorti, Ray Farrell, Tessa Bickhart, and Michael Torocco have all been recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as qualified bog turtle experts in multiple states, and they routinely perform Phase I, II, and III surveys. A brief description of HA Staff bog turtle experience is as follows: Robert Zappalorti conducted surveys and studies on bog turtles in New Jersey and North Carolina beginning in the 1973, prior to founding Herpetological Associates, Inc., in 1977. In 1992 he began intensive bog turtle surveys and nesting behavior/predator studies for the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Ray Farrell and Robert Zappalorti conducted the 1978–1979 and 1988–1989 bog turtle survey for the New Jersey Endangered & Nongame Species Program. HA has assisted our clients by providing consultation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) on numerous development projects. HA has also pioneered various turtle-trapping techniques and has provided important data and training sessions to the USFWS, NJDEP, PFBC, and various bog turtle biologists. HA’s experience with bog turtle ecology and behavior, including radiotelemetry and mark/recapture studies for TNC between 1992 and 2005, has given HA the knowledge to make quick and accurate judgements on the presence or absence of bog turtles and the suitability of bog turtle habitat. HA’s research (including Phase I, II, and III survey techniques) with bog turtles has been held in high regard by the PFBC, NJDEP, and the USFWS, and we are one of the few consultant firms qualified to perform trapping of bog turtles (Phase III surveys).