Expert on reptiles, amphibians packs nature center

Dennis Quinn, herpetologist, presents slide show at Barnes Nature Center Tuesday evening. | Photo compliments of Pequabuck River Watershed Association

Posted By: David Fortier October 21, 2023

A local expert on amphibians and reptiles addressed the need to protect these species before an audience of Boy Scouts, graduate students, public land-trust officials and land trust members as well as members of the general public at Barnes Nature Center earlier this week, according to a release from the the Pequabuck River Watershed Association, which hosted the program.

Dennis Quinn, one of Connecticut’s leading experts on the conservation of native reptiles and amphibians presented “Salamanders, Turtles and Snakes, oh, my!” to a capacity crowd on Wednesday.

More than 50 people attended to hear Quinn discuss vulnerable species and introduce a new book he co-authored with Hank J. Gruner, Michael W. Klemens, and Eric R. Davison. The book is “Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut.”

Quinn described the new publication as a necessary update to address the “increasing complexity and urgency of conservation challenges in the ecological, scientific, and policy arenas.”

Among the subjects he covered was the progress conservationists have made in understanding the needs and stressors of vulnerable species. However, the major stressor, habitat fragmentation, has increased, making more urgent the need that we protect these species.

Early in his career, Dennis Quinn served as a field biologist for the Farmington Valley Biodiversity (FVB) Study working under the mentorship of Gruner and Klemens. The study examined a seven-town area along the Farmington River from Suffield to Farmington and, using available scientific data, identified priority conservation areas.

Of special interest to many attending the event, Scott Swamp was classified in the study as a Rank 1 Priority Conservation Area. The Priority Conservation Areas were ranked based on biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and connectivity to other conserved areas. The Swamp is an example of a large undisturbed biodiverse area providing habitat to vulnerable species.

More about Dennis’s work can be found at QUINNecological.com and his wildlife photography in the form of a photographic atlas to the identification of CT’s amphibians and reptiles can be found at ctherpetology.com.

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