We are excited to host our Annual Meeting on February 7th and 8th at the beautiful Chester State Park located in Chester, SC! This two-day event will bring together professionals, students, and educators to share their incredible work in research, conservation, and education focused on South Carolina’s reptiles and amphibians. The full schedule of events is listed below. More information, including abstracts and descriptions of the presentations, can be found by following this link: 

SCPARC 2025 Annual Meeting Schedule

Friday, February 7th

1:00 PM – Check-In
1:30–2:00 PM – Welcome & Introduction
Jake Zadik & Tess Moody

Presentation Period I

2:00–2:20 PMState Parks Update
Stacy Sherman | SC State Parks

2:20–3:20 PMUpdate from the State

  • 2024 Herp Project Update
    Andrew Grosse | SCDNR
  • South Carolina Alligator Management Update
    Morgan Hart | SCDNR

3:20–3:30 PM – Break

Presentation Period II

3:30–4:45 PM

  • Spatial Ecology of Three Species of Snakes in the South Carolina Coastal Plain
    Jeff Camper | Francis Marion University
  • Reproductive Ecology of the Pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus) in the North Carolina Sandhills
    Jeff Beane | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
  • From Jumpstarts to Buzztails: Conservation of Imperiled Amphibians and Reptiles by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission
    Jeff Hall | NC Wildlife Resources Commission

5:00–7:00 PM – Social Hour
Hillside Restaurant and Bar

Saturday, February 8th

8:30 AM – Check-In

Presentation Period I

9:00–10:00 AM (15-minute presentations + 5-minute Q&A)

  • Environmental Drivers and Species-Habitat Relationships of Herpetofauna Communities in Coastal South Carolina Historic Rice Fields
    Tyler Tobias | Clemson University
  • The Population Genomics of the Eastern Fence Lizard
    Matthew McTernan | Clemson University
  • Efficient Identification of Marbled Salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) using WildID 
    Kira McEntire | Queens University of Charlotte

10:00–10:20 AM – Break

Presentation Period II

10:20–11:20 AM (15-minute presentations + 5-minute Q&A)

  • The Impact of Genetic and Environmental Factors on Microbiome Composition and Diversity in a Plethodontid Hybrid Introgression Complex in the Southern Appalachian Mountains
    Zachary Laughlin | Clemson University
  • Cloacal Swabs Are of Limited Use for DNA Metabarcoding to Assess Reptile Diets
    Sharon Bewick | Clemson University
  • Impact of Urbanization on Body Size in Woodland Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina)
    Kiyoshi Sasaki | Winthrop University

11:20–11:30 AM – Break

11:30 AM–12:00 PM – SCPARC Business Meeting

Poster Session & Catered Lunch

12:00–1:00 PM

  • How Host Ecology and Evolution Influence the Green Salamander Microbiome: Implications for the Distribution of Chytrid-Inhibitory Bacteria Across a Species Range
    Daniel Malagon | Clemson University
  • Habitat Use of Woodland Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) on the Urbanizing Catawba Reservation
    Paiton Funderburk | Winthrop University
  • Spatial Ecology, Breeding, and Nesting Habits of Northern Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus) within the Francis Marion PARCA (Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area)
    Maddie Prickett | ARC
  • Herping the Amazon in Suriname
    Parker Gibbons

Field Exploration

1:00–4:00 PMChester State Park