Future Herpetologist Revisted

Encountering enthusiastic young people has been a driving force for us in our work as naturalists. While it’s easy to criticize the youth of today (as it has been since the beginning of time), we find it more rewarding to search for those with passion and interests that could carry them through their lives and benefit wildlife and humanity along the way.

On the Naturalist Deck

We met one such young man last season on the naturalist deck of the National Elk Refuge. Because Gabe Brown’s passion lies in herpetology, he and Chuck discussed reptiles for over an hour. “It was like talking with a peer,” Chuck later told me. “He has in-depth knowledge of snakes and other reptiles that rivals many other enthusiasts I’ve met.”

To our delight, Gabe has remained in touch with us over the past year. At one point, when he asked for some direction in presenting reptile programs such as ours, we sent Gabe an outline of our program to give him some ideas that might generate ideas of his own. Some time later, Gabe’s mother, Jaime, emailed us.

“Say a quick prayer for Gabe this afternoon,” she wrote. “He’s doing his first snake presentation for his brother’s kindergarten class! You guys had such a profound influence on him!!!”

Gabe Presenting Snake Program
Gabe Presenting Snake Program

Commitment

It takes more than a mentor or supporter to impact someone, however. It takes desire and commitment on their part, as well as knowledge and hard work. Gabe has now proven himself with several programs to kindergarteners and at least one program to fifth graders, both grades taught by teachers who previously taught Gabe. We can only imagine their pride at watching a former student mature and develop into a knowledgeable educator.

And now Gabe has been invited to give his presentation during Summer School to all first graders and incoming kindergarteners. “Overall,” reports his mom, “there were probably 350 kids!”

Local Species

Using species native to his home state, Gabe brought a red milk snake, a rough green tree snake, a ringneck snake, a brown snake, a baby red eared slider turtle, and two bark scorpions. “He thought the kindergarten groups were the best,” said Jaime. “They seem so eager to learn, but do have more stories than questions.”

Gabe’s experience with this age group rivals our own. His favorite question delivered by one kindergartener was “Do turtles poop?” Another question he fielded demonstrated that the child may have missed the theme of the presentation: “Do unicorns bite?” Like the pro that he’s becoming, however, Gabe answered this question as well.

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Gabe demonstrating snake hook
Gabe demonstrating snake hook

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Gabe letting students touch a snake
Gabe letting students touch a snake

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Previous Encounter

Years ago, I met another middle school student with a passion for butterflies. He has since traveled the world researching butterflies and discovering new species. Whenever I pick up a book on butterflies or invertebrates, I search for his name and have several times discovered it in the acknowledgment or contributor sections. With a similar passion, Gabe is likely to fulfill his ambition to become a herpetologist, working with zoos and conservation areas. We wish him our best, and we look forward to following his career!

“And yes,” says mother Jaime, “he does wear the same snake shirt to all of his presentations!”

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