We are excited to announce a new program in 2020 for the littlest animal enthusiasts under the age of 6! This is a monthly opportunity for parents and children to explore the fascinating world of amphibians and reptiles together. For more information, please see our website: https://amphibianfoundation.org/

Snakes, lizards, turtles, and others comprise one of the most fascinating groups of vertebrates — the reptiles. There is hardly a group which inspires as much wonder, awe, and fear as this one. This course provides an exploration into reptiles beginning with how they arose on earth, and then discussing what they have been up to since they got here. Global biodiversity will be discussed in detail, exploring the major groups and their relationships to each other. The anatomy and physiology will be explored, as well as the ecological role of reptiles in keeping our environments healthy.

Special emphasis will be placed on the reptiles native to the Georgia Piedmont.

This course assumes a basic understanding of Biology and Comparative Anatomy, but are not requirements. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia (Jensen, et al) is suggested reading. All required course materials can be downloaded.

The class takes place over 8 Saturday afternoons; each Saturday class is 3 hours long (2:30-5:30PM); basically 3 regular classes in succession each Saturday.

Atlanta will be joining more than 100 cities around the world to encourage individuals and families to document the species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms found in nature using the iNaturalist app.
Our goal is to connect people to nature while they help contribute to urban biodiversity data. Atlanta is biologically diverse and by crowd sourcing data, citizen scientists can help give valuable insight into what specifically calls Atlanta home.

City Nature Challenge is organized on a global scale by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences.

The Atlanta City Nature Challenge is led locally by Fernbank Museum. 2020 partners include The Amphibian Foundation, Atlanta Audubon Society, Atlanta Science Festival, Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Chattahoochee Nature Center, City of Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, City of Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department, Cobb County Water System, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, Frazer Center, Trails of Mason Mill, Newman Wetlands Center, Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, Park Pride, Piedmont Park ATL, Proctor Creek Stewardship Council, Southern Conservation Trust, Trees Atlanta, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Wylde Center. More partners to be announced!

If your organization is interested in becoming a City Nature Challenge Partner, please email Eli.Dickerson@FernbankMuseum.org.

The popular IRL certificate program is now available as an online course! By popular request anyone anywhere can join us for a deep dive into the world of amphibians and reptiles. The course is sure to fill up fast, so register today!

For more information and to register, see the Amphibian Foundation's website: masterherper.amphibianfoundation.org