ASHLAND, – Local salamander conservation, particularly in Richland and Ashland County, is the topic of the next Ashland University Environmental Lecture Series on Thursday, Feb. 11 in Ronk Lecture Hall.
The presentation will be made by Greg Lipps, a Herpetological and GIS consultant and the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation coordinator with the Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership at the Ohio State University.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be at 7:30 p.m. Lipps will speak on “Partnering to Protect Ohio’s Giant Salamander, the Eastern Hellbender.” The Eastern Hellbender is one of only two completely aquatic salamanders found in Ohio.
Lipps is the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation coordinator for the Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership at OSU. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lipps moved to Toledo in 1995 where he took a position in the Department of Herpetology at the Toledo Zoo. After leaving the zoo, he completed his Masters in Biology in 2005 at Bowling Green State University, focusing on utilizing emerging technologies (Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing) for applied conservation.
Lipps has worked as an independent biologist for state agencies and NGO’s, conducting surveys of amphibians and reptiles throughout the state and collaborating on conservation strategies for a wide range of species and ecosystems. Specifically, he has conducted surveys for many of Ohio’s rare and endangered amphibians and reptiles, including Green Salamanders, Cave Salamanders, Blue-spotted Salamanders, Eastern Massasaugas, Spotted Turtles, and Blanding’s Turtles.
For the past decade, Lipps has spent much of his time investigating the status and distribution of Eastern Hellbenders, determining threats to the viability of populations, and leading a partnership to restore Hellbenders in Ohio. He is an editor and contributing author to the recently released book Amphibians of Ohio and the forthcoming Reptiles of Ohio.
The goal of the “In Our Own Backyard” series this year is to explore examples of local natural history and ecology and make connections to issues, questions and plans for the future.
“Here, we define ‘local’ as Ashland and Richland counties in particular and north-central Ohio in general. This part of Ohio represents a unique intersection of geological and biological histories, so our landscape and the wildlife that live here are quite rich,” said Patricia Saunders, associate professor of biology and director of AU’s Environmental Science Program. “This year’s environmental lecture series includes wetland and upland examples that offer different perspectives on what makes our own backyard so special.”
The final presentation of this year’s series will be by Rick Gardner on Thursday, March 17. Gardiner is chief botanist for the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He will share his botanical perspective on “Ohio’s natural heritage, with a focus on Ashland and Richland Counties.”
Updated information on the series is available at ashland.edu/environmental-lecture-series.
