June 4th, 2017
Guest Speaker: Tony Daly-Crews
Presentation: Conserving the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Located: Jacksonville Museum of Science and History
​Address: 1025 Museum Cir., Jax., FL 32207
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm. ​​

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President of the EDCF, Tony Daly-Crews, will speak about what threats are facing the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and what the organization is doing to conserve them. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake and many other species of rattlesnake are in a steep decline across their range. Rattlesnake roundups, which are cruel events that involve the slaughter of thousands of rattlesnakes annually, are occurring in 6 states across the U.S. with no sign of slowing down. To date, only one rattlesnake roundup has converted to a conservation festival and the EDCF supports that event every year by displaying snakes for education as well as live presentations.  Researchers and members of the Eastern Diamondback Conservation Foundation (EDCF) are working to change their population trajectory and catalyze a major culture shift towards conservation.

Tony Daly-Crews is the President of the Eastern Diamondback Conservation Foundation (EDCF), a passionate field biologist, and a veteran. As a native Floridian growing up in Ocala, he spent a lot of time outdoors interacting with many species of wildlife. Tony studied at the University of North Florida and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduating, he was hired on full time as a biologist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and currently works at the North Florida Ecological Services Field Office. He also was part of the Florida National Guard as a Chinook helicopter mechanic for 6 years. Research he was involved in while in college focused on management and restoration of Florida scrub, which is one of many important ecosystems to eastern diamondbacks.

Tony has been part of various aspects of venomous herpetology, from instructing venomous training, to participating in the rule making process for venomous in Florida. In 2016, he served as a member of the Venomous Reptile Technical Assistance Group (VRTAG) for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and worked with a group of professionals to improve and update current rules regarding captive venomous reptiles. Tony currently manages a collection of 50+ venomous reptiles and various species of  non-venomous reptiles. All of the species of venomous reptile that he keeps are used to instruct students on how to handle venomous reptiles safely and responsibly.

Current projects Tony is working on include expanding the EDCF's training program to include a more captive reptile focused curriculum, research using detector dogs to track eastern diamondbacks in the wild, and working with private land owners on expanding conservation lands for the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and other native species.

Tony Daly-Crews, President
Eastern Diamondback Conservation Foundation
Non-profit 501(c)(3) Organization
www.savethebuzztails.org
www.facebook.com/savethebuzztails
Jacksonville, FL