Website Under Construction
We are currently building up our Herp Guides, Trip Reports, Explore features, and photo inventory. Some things on the site have not yet been added or polished to perfection. Please check back for more updates soon. Thank you! (March 2026)
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Programs Update
I (Ty) have updated our "Events" tab for the first time since 2023... Whoops... The truth is, the way we were using it was too much to keep up. Many programs we do are open to the public, but we also have many private programs for groups, and advertising was complicated. If you are wondering why it is so hard for us to keep up with the website, I will speak for myself, in saying that I work on Herping Virginia for over 40 hours a week with a full-time job and other commitments; much of that is programs. I love doing programs but, like with the "Events" tab, the website gets neglected at times. I have several scientific papers, articles, and maybe a book or two I have yet to finish. So, we made some changes.
1. We seperated public and private group programing on our "Events" page. We will keep an easy list of public programs we will be at this year on our events page.
2. We have started asking for donations for private programing. We have been funding Herping Virginia from our own pockets, and it is just unsustainable in the long run. Every event we do puts wear and tear on our displays and deplinishes our educational handouts. Inflation of gas prices, animal care necessities such as lighting, and our display materials is making it harder to improve our displays. I am not saying we are struggling to feed our animals, but we are struggling to upgrade and replace displays when prices for care needs go up at the same time. The care of our ambassadors is our number one priority monetarily, but our goal is to educate. On top of that, Herping Virginia has grown to the point it is conflicting with our day jobs. I am happy for this, but having to take off from our jobs to give a program eats into the money we make to fund these programs. This is not meant to be a "woe is me" ploy, just a "we need to make changes for the longevity of the organization" explanation. Every organization needs income, and I am quite proud of our ability to make it this far on virtually zero. These donations will go directly back to providing the professional display quality and clear educational value we wish to provide.
If these changes do not work, we may have to change how we do programs. We do programs nearly every weekend from March-November. It is difficult to keep the quality high as well as the quantity, and we hope these changes will help with that greatly. Thank you!
1. We seperated public and private group programing on our "Events" page. We will keep an easy list of public programs we will be at this year on our events page.
2. We have started asking for donations for private programing. We have been funding Herping Virginia from our own pockets, and it is just unsustainable in the long run. Every event we do puts wear and tear on our displays and deplinishes our educational handouts. Inflation of gas prices, animal care necessities such as lighting, and our display materials is making it harder to improve our displays. I am not saying we are struggling to feed our animals, but we are struggling to upgrade and replace displays when prices for care needs go up at the same time. The care of our ambassadors is our number one priority monetarily, but our goal is to educate. On top of that, Herping Virginia has grown to the point it is conflicting with our day jobs. I am happy for this, but having to take off from our jobs to give a program eats into the money we make to fund these programs. This is not meant to be a "woe is me" ploy, just a "we need to make changes for the longevity of the organization" explanation. Every organization needs income, and I am quite proud of our ability to make it this far on virtually zero. These donations will go directly back to providing the professional display quality and clear educational value we wish to provide.
If these changes do not work, we may have to change how we do programs. We do programs nearly every weekend from March-November. It is difficult to keep the quality high as well as the quantity, and we hope these changes will help with that greatly. Thank you!
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Destination Highlight
Learn about a Virginia, herping destination that you must check out in the near future.
Flag Rock Recreational Area
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Way down yonder in "Wood Booger" Country, there is a City called Norton. Here there is a park in the mountains that is a preserve for Salamanders. I personally love this place, but if you go herping here, please bring a trash bag and some grabbers and pack a bag of trash out. People throw trash down in the rockwork constantly, and this can kill these amazing salamanders. If we want these salamanders to out live us, we really need to preserve this preserve.
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