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| Ranches / Land wanted for Recreational Opportunities |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Friday, 05 October 2007 | |
Provide recreational opportunities and earn extra income.Herpetological Conservation Unlimited (HCU) is an organization of reptile and amphibian enthusiasts. The members of HCU have an interest in the finding, photographing and in some cases the collection of various reptiles and amphibians. In the past, our hobby often found us driving at night along the back roads of Texas in search of snakes, frogs, lizards and the like. This time honored tradition has been enjoyed by thousands of people, young and old from across the United States since there have been roadways available in which to pursue our hobby.This year, House Bill 12 was passed in the state of Texas. HB 12 contained a rider, which has now made it illegal to pick up, or pursue ANY type of wildlife along out Texas roadways or the adjacent right-of-ways. Wildlife photographers also lost a vital part of their interests as well since a large portion of reptile, amphibian and insect photography took place along these public roads. Since its passage, herpetologists have lost the only place available in the state in which to pursue their hobby. Texas has no public lands available for these purposes. This being the case, herpetologist must now follow in the footsteps of deer, bird and other hunters to try and find private landowners willing to allow access for these purposes. HCU’s recreation program seeks agreements between landowners and HCU to allow HCU’s members access to property around the state of Texas. By gaining they can pursue their hobby such as herpetological and other non-invasive, small-impact activities. These activities would include, snake hunting, lizard hunting, photography, insect hunting/photography, etc. These activities are VERY low impact as no weapons are used or needed and for the most part occur outside traditional Texas hunting seasons (no impact on deer hunters). Land in west or south Texas is of particular interest to us. Since these activities primarily occur outside of the regular Texas hunting season it could potentially produce a small amount of extra income for participating landowners. There are already several landowners that have agreed to basic 24 hour lease access for snakes hunters and/or collectors in the range of $20-30 per person, per day. Some landowners prefer package deals. Many of our members prefer to pursue their activities in groups or with their families. Some ranches have offered further amenities such as overnight lodging, ATV rental, cooked meals, etc. for extra fees. Since many of our members are fishermen, hunters and landowners themselves, we understand the importance of keeping land clean, keeping gates (closed or open) in their original condition and not disturbing graze land. Part of our mission is going to be policing our own membership. If you as a landowner have a complaint about one of our members leaving a gate open, leaving trash or anything else just email one of our officers. All participating landowners will have their information listed on a members only, password protected page on the HCU website. Members will be able to call or email you via whatever contact information that you choose to provide. They must do so to arrange access and receive any special instructions as to ranch rules and regulations. Landowners will be able to call or email HCU officers to verify membership in good standing and that the member has no previous complaints against him or her. We do not condone or support collecting of wildlife for the purpose of sale. Protected species are also off limits. Any member violating any state or federal law will lose his or her membership privileges. Below is a list of the various activities and their descriptions that our membership may be interested in for your convenience. If you wish to grant access for any or all of the activities listed, please let us know at the email provided below or the PO Box below. If you would like to participate, a brief description of your property, requirements, and any other information that you would like to provide for our members would also be helpful (acreage, directions, further amenities, etc.). If you wish to have your property listed with our organization, you can have it removed for any reason at any time with a simple email or phone call to any of our officers. We also understand concerns over liability issues. If you require liability waiver prior to anyone gaining access and do not have one, we have one on hand that we will edit to match your requirements. Activities: Snake Hunting – Usually done at night by artificial light. Some prefer to walk with headlamps or flashlights. If ranch roads are available, some prefer to drive slowly along ranch roads and search via headlights or spotlights. For those wishing to collect, it is usually done by hand, snake hook or tongs. For those wishing just to photograph, the animal is usually just moved to a better location, photographed and released. If snake hunting is done during the day, rock flipping, board flipping and walking are usually the preferred methods. The HCU member will replace any rocks or boards that are overturned as they were found. Lizard Hunting – Usually done during the day with a fishing pole and noose. The collectors walk watching for basking lizards and flip rocks looking for sleeping specimens. Again, the HCU member will replace rocks or other debris as they were found. Photographers usually do not move the lizards. Their photos are usually taken as they were found. There are a few species of lizards that are found only at night. In this case, the same methods employed in snake hunting are used. Amphibian Hunting - Both methods used in snake hunting and/or lizard hunting is employed. This activity is usually done around water sources. Frog gigging is not an activity that we practice. Bug Collecting – Although most of our members are interested in reptiles and amphibians, many are mainly photographers that enjoy macro photography of insects, arachnids and other invertebrates. Some entomology (bug collectors) groups have also expressed an interest in our landowner contact program so this may provide another source of potential income opportunity for you. Photography – This is the main interest of most of our members. Since our focus is on reptiles and amphibians, our photography interests can be enjoyed day or night. Our photography members also enjoy bird photography as well. This is the lowest form of impact on wildlife resources as nothing is taken. In the near future, we will be extending membership to those interested in bird photography. If you have ANY questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email, snail mail or by phone. We hope to hear from you and look forward to working with you as our membership grows. Jason Penney Vice-President of Recreation - HCU This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it www.hcu-tx.org |
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