Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 9h

2025 Spotted Turtle survey season stats:

States surveyed: 3
Trap nights: 3,208
Survey hours: 349
Miles surveyed: 171
Spotted Turtles found: 123
Other turtle species found: 7
Other non-testudine herp species found: 32
Flat tires: 2
Cars stuck in ditch: 1
People needed to get car out of ditch: 5

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 1d

Attention graduate students! The Orianne Society’s Grant Program for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation in the Southeast is now accepting applications.

Application deadline: 5PM EST, 21 November 2025

Scan QR code or follow this link for details: www.oriannesociety.org/science-init...

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 5d

...concerning levels of inbreeding, which are linked to reduced survival and lower breeding rates. Tune in to learn about recovery strategies and what the future may hold for this imperiled rattlesnake.

Listen in: www.oriannesociety.org/snake-talk/

Snake Talk

Snake Talk, a podcast hosted by Dr. Chris Jenkins, is geared towards increasing education about snakes and decreasing fear and persecution.

www.oriannesociety.org

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 5d

Dr. Jenkins sits down with Drs. Eric Hileman and Meaghan Clark for an in-depth look at the Eastern Massasauga. They begin with the species’ natural history and conservation status before diving into long-term research from Michigan populations. Their studies reveal...

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 5d

Georgia College & State University recently featured our Director of Science, Dr. Houston Chandler (’12), highlighting his journey from GCSU student to leading reptile and amphibian conservation across the Southeast.

Read more about Houston’s path here: frontpage.gcsu.edu/node/22513

Three-Million Dollar Man: Alumnus Houston Chandler protects native Georgia wildlife | Front Page

By Amanda Respess

frontpage.gcsu.edu

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 6d

Who’s a good boy?

Sunkhaze is! Sunkhaze and his trainer, Sequoia Dixon, helped us track down a #WoodTurtle whose radio transmitter had died before we could remove it, along with a GPS logger. After many months of searching, Sunkhaze had the turtle in 20 minutes!

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 8d

This month, he takes us along on a virtual walk through a river valley to check in on the turtle just a couple of weeks after release.

Watch the video on Faces of the Forest: www.oriannesociety.org/faces-of-the...

Checking Up on the One-eyed Rehab Wood Turtle - The Orianne Society

Checking up on a rehabilitated Wood Turtle, Kiley takes you on a virtual river valley walk to see how it’s faring after release.

www.oriannesociety.org

The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 8d

In his previous blog post, Kiley shared the remarkable story of a #WoodTurtle that survived a car strike and was released back into the wild after rehabilitation.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 12d

The Orianne Society played a critical role throughout this process—assisting with land acquisition and easement projects, as well as co-chairing the Stewardship Committee for the partnership.

Read more about Gopher Tortoise conservation efforts here: georgiaconservancy.org/gophertortoi...

Orianne Society staff inserting a burrow-cam, a long device with a camera and LED lights, into a Gopher Tortoise burrow to see what may be inside.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 12d

Supported by a broad partnership, this effort safeguarded thousands of acres of land and will benefit both people and wildlife. Gopher Tortoises are keystone species in longleaf pine ecosystems because their burrows provide habitat for over 300 other species.

View of a Gopher Tortoise entering its burrow.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 12d

Exciting news for Gopher Tortoises!

The Georgia #GopherTortoise Conservation Initiative recently reached its goal of permanently protecting 65 tortoise populations across the state!

A bright yellow, baby Gopher Tortoise makes its way along the sandhills, leaf litter and wiregrass in the background.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 12d

The Snake Talk Podcast is geared towards increasing education about snakes and decreasing fear and persecution. Listen in: www.oriannesociety.org/snake-talk/

Snake Talk

Snake Talk, a podcast hosted by Dr. Chris Jenkins, is geared towards increasing education about snakes and decreasing fear and persecution.

www.oriannesociety.org

The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 12d

In this episode, Dr. Jenkins sits down with Dr. Whitney Robles, author of Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History. Explore how animals shape our knowledge, and how fear, fascination, and personal encounters still influence the way we understand them today.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 14d

The ongoing efforts to reintroduce indigo snakes and ultimately achieve recovery goals for the species represent one of the most exciting projects we regularly participate in.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 14d

...ongoing efforts to reintroduce indigo snakes to the western portion of their historic range in southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

At the meeting, the group shared updates, discussed current challenges, and planned for future snake releases.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 14d

Houston recently participated in the Eastern Indigo Snake Reintroduction Committee’s annual meeting, where he serves as co-chair alongside Robert Hill from Zoo Atlanta. This meeting brings together stakeholders from a variety of organizations to discuss...

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 15d

...collecting eDNA samples for Eastern Hellbenders, Brendan gained firsthand experience in field research while contributing to our efforts to better understand and protect the region’s remarkable biodiversity.

Read more: www.oriannesociety.org/news/summer-...

Summer Work on Salamander Conservation

Exploring salamander diversity in the southern Appalachians, Brendan Loring shares his summer conservation work with The Orianne Society.

www.oriannesociety.org

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 15d

This summer, Orianne Society intern Brendan Loring immersed himself in salamander conservation in the Appalachian Highlands. From surveying and restoring habitat at the Charles H. Wharton Center for Conservation, to...

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 16d

...leading her to new areas and even more turtles. These short-term tracking efforts are already helping us understand how Spotted Turtles use their habitat, knowledge that improves our chances of finding and protecting more populations in the future.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 16d

A few months ago we shared news of a newly discovered population in Georgia, thanks to technician Emma Kendrick. Since then, she’s found a second population at another site!

By placing transmitters on these turtles, Emma has been able to track their movements through the wetlands...

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 20d

While checking up on the recently released rehab Wood Turtle that was hit by a car last year, Kiley also snapped this cool photo of the turtle reaching up to poke his nose out of the water for a breath of air.

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 21d

The Orianne Society works to restore, manage and inventory wetland habitats to try to determine the distribution of turtle populations. Support our work by donating or becoming a member today: www.oriannesociety.org/take-action/

Take Action

We have been working to conserve overlooked species of reptiles and amphibians since 2008. Take action and support our conservation efforts!

www.oriannesociety.org

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 21d

10 sites, set 196 traps, and logged 104 visual encounter surveys—spending 109 hours across 47 miles. Her reward? Just 7 turtles at our long-term site… plus the added challenge of removing 6 Cottonmouths from traps!

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 21d

Florida remains the toughest state for finding Spotted Turtles. At the southernmost edge of their range, turtles are sparse, and vast wetlands make every capture a game of luck. This season, Orianne technician Delana Gonzales covered...

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The Orianne Society @oriannesociety.bsky.social · 22d

Hellbenders depend on cold, clean waterways, but rising temperatures and increased sediment threaten their survival. Protecting them means protecting the health of our rivers for all wildlife, and for us.

Learn more about these giant, aquatic salamanders: www.oriannesociety.org/priority-spe...

Eastern Hellbender

Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) are one of the largest salamanders in the world, reaching lengths of 74cm.

www.oriannesociety.org

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