Ben Stegenga

Research Coordinator for the @OrianneSociety. Conservationist, international field herper, amateur photographer, backpacker, & lover of all things wild.

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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.

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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.

[Rocky Mountain Research Station @usfs_rmrs]

🐍 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: https://t.co/kDl4ZzmiOu

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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: https://t.co/B2mJ7QpIrq

[Ben Stegenga @Stegenga]

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! https://t.co/KrA4HWEdDT

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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! https://t.co/paBMYvSD3C

#rattlesnake #easterndiamondbackrattlesnake @stegenga @nkfherping

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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!

https://t.co/paBMYvSD3C

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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! https://t.co/paBMYvSD3C

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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!

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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: https://t.co/paBMYvSD3C

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

#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. https://t.co/XQQn2Ig0I2

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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. https://t.co/ZPvlRX8gPb

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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!

https://t.co/B2mJ7QpIrq

[Ben Stegenga @Stegenga]

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

[Kuang-Ping Yu @Selenopidae]

Finally, the paper from my side project is out! A new intertidal trapdoor spider (Idioctis) species found in Taiwan. Still can remember how difficult it is to fish them out from the coral rocks with an electric toothbrush.
https://t.co/KSA7grGteY
Fulltext: @EZlab_slo

[Dr. Tom Major @Thomas_Major]

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: https://t.co/8CQE8IlZFi

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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!

https://t.co/yugpeZvYj5

[The Orianne Society @OrianneSociety]

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

[10,000 Takes @10k_Takes]

The Minnesota Vikings are 0-3

#skol