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All THS members can attend the symposiums and field trips of the Texas Herpetological Society (est. 1939). Join or renew your membership by clicking here.

We have an annual symposium in the fall where herpetologists present seminars on current research and a field trip campout in the spring where we find and photograph reptiles and amphibians in the field.

Spring Field Trip 2023:
The THS Spring Campout 2023 will be held April 14th - 16th at Couch Mountain Ranch, a privately-owned property, in southeast Camp County, Texas. The property consists of over 8,000 acres of upland deciduous forests on iron-ore mountaintops and bottomland hardwood forests along Big Cypress Creek. It is also located in an under surveyed area of Texas.

Click here to join before attending the field trip. We have permission to camp in the interior of the property at Flanagan Lake Lodge (see map on following page, open star) where members will have access to open, grassy areas for tent camping and bathrooms within the lodge itself. There are numerous maintained roads throughout the property but given the conditions within the bottomlands some areas may not be accessible. 4WD is not required to get from the entrance to the lodge, but we will have two 4WD trucks and a four-wheeler onsite in case of emergency. Upon arrival at the designated entrance gate along County Road 4425 (32.95474°N, -94.82256°W; see closed star on this map), there will be signs posted to guide members to Flanagan Lake Lodge (32.96358°N, -94.80802°W; see open star on this map). Members will be required to sign in upon arrival. Membership and registration can be paid upon arrival at the sign-in table on the afternoon of the 14th and morning of the 15th. Stay tuned in to the Texas Herpetological Society Facebook page where more details and other information on the Spring Campout 2023 will be posted as the date nears. Please send any questions about the spring campout to me at Connor.Adams@sfasu.edu.

Fall Meeting 2023: TBA

Presenter Information

THS members are given the opportunity to submit abstracts to potentially present their research via seminar or poster at our annual fall symposium. Requests for abstracts are sent to members via email (join here).

Code of Conduct

The THS Code of Conduct outlines the welcoming and inclusive environment we expect for all THS members at our meetings and events so that everyone can have a good time and contribute to the advancement of herpetological research.

Purpose and Applicability
The Texas Herpetological Society (THS) is a community of individuals interested in amphibians and reptiles of Texas. Annual THS meetings and field events serve as safe and professional forums for individuals to engage with society members. As THS membership is open to all who would care to participate, no member should feel discouraged, unwelcome, or unsafe while at a THS function. Attendees of the annual THS meeting and THS affiliated events have the right to an environment free of harassment, discrimination, bullying, and all other forms of misconduct and inappropriate behavior. Misconduct discourages community engagement in wildlife appreciation and scientific inquiry thus violating the mission of THS. Therefore such behavior is strictly prohibited. All members and attendees of meetings and affiliated events agree to comply with the standards of behavior outlined here.

Prohibited Conduct
This document was formed following recommendations from Foxx et al. (2019) and modeling from definitions of misconduct and harassment presented in the Citations section below. Misconduct refers to unacceptable or improper behavior that can be considered disrespectful, threatening, or intimidating toward any participant or attendee of the THS Annual Meeting. Examples of particular forms of misconduct are listed below, but this is not necessarily an exhaustive list. Behavior that is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another, so one must use discretion to ensure that words and actions communicate respect for others. This is especially important for those in positions of seniority, as those in more junior positions may be reluctant to express their objections or discomfort regarding unwelcome behavior.

Inappropriate behavior and misconduct, while not explicit forms of harassment, reduce attendees' comfort at events by creating hostile environments through vulgarity, intimidation, and physical or verbal disruptions.

• For example, disrespectful or inappropriate disruption of talks, poster sessions, meetings, or social functions (e.g., jeering, yelling, or hostile comments or questions directed at a presenter);
• Stalking other meeting attendees;
• Use of inappropriate pet names or condescending nicknames without prior consent.

Discrimination or harassment on the basis of a Protected Trait (i.e., includes age, creed, color, gender, disability, marital status, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, military status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, transgender status, and any other category protected by U.S. federal laws or regulations) occurs when an individual or group is treated adversely on the basis of a Protected Trait.

• For example, it would violate this policy to deny members of a particular religion the opportunity to attend a THS event;
• Reject conference papers from those exhibiting a certain gender identity;
• Refuse to select an individual for an award on the basis of race.

• For example, threats or insinuations that lead the targeted individual(s) to reasonably believe that granting or denying sexual favors will affect their reputation and potential to hold an office, deliver a paper/poster, or win an award;
• Sexual advances, propositions, or demands that are not explicitly mutually agreeable to both parties;
• Repeatedly using sexual gestures, words, or sounds to describe a person;
• Non-consensual, unwelcome, or unnecessary physical contact including: touching, patting, hugging, or other invasions of personal space (i.e., sexual assault);
• Recurring comments or questions about an individual’s sexual prowess, sexual deficiencies, or sexual behavior.

• 911 for emergencies
• Incidents may be reported to any THS officer (i.e., President, Vice President, President-Elect, and/or Treasurer). Officers will consult one another about the incident only if the reporting individual approves.
• Reports will remain confidential to the extent possible, considering the need to conduct an adequate investigation and any legal requirements.

• THS officers will investigate the reported incident and based on the finding may dispense reprimands ranging from verbal warnings to banning offender(s) from future THS events.
• Report to Title IX or equivalent, if needed
• Report to Law enforcement, if needed