This site is a joint effort and as such we each take part in adding photos and field reports, and many of these reports are co-written as we were both there. This is the page with information about both of us and how we got involved in herping.

Andrew Hoffman

I've been into herps ever since I can remember. It started out as simply exploring the wilderness with my father when I was "just a little shaver" (as he fondly remembers). By the age of two or three I was out wading creeks and hiking in the woods, picking up salamanders and frogs at every turn. When I was six I caught my first snake, a young Northern Watersnake. From then on I was hooked. I kept lots of wild caught specimens when I was young (everything from young Softshells to Pickerel Frogs and Gartersnakes), but as I got older I had to learn a lesson that was hard for me at that age. This lesson was that nature is so much better when you simply observe and enjoy it in nature, rather than taking everything home. This being said, I am a strong support of people learning about nature in a very hands on and close up method...very against the whole "leave nature alone and don't touch it" concept. The only way people can truly appreciate nature is if they jump right into it ("it" was usually a muddy river or lake for me) and grab it by the tail (usually a very agitated Watersnake).

As herping developed into a passion for me I also got into wildlife photography and incorporated this into my outings. The internet opened all new doors for me and soon I was posting my photographs and field reports to share with other enthusiasts. I also met many others who were interested in the same thing, Todd being one of them. With a new car and new possibilities I began traveling the state in search of all things slimy and scaly.

I am now attending Hanover College and am majoring in Biology. I want to do as much research as I can, while at the same time being able to pass on my love and passion for herps wherever I can. Whether it be giving a talk at a local nature center, or radiotracking snakes in a tropical forest...I know that herping will bring me a lifetime of enjoyment and experiences I will never forget.

Todd Pierson

I've loved nature all my life, but it's hard for me to explain to people how I got interested in field herping. I would always go fishing with my dad, and whether we were out West, in Michigan, or in Indiana, I would turn up some frogs and snakes along the streams. Sometime in middle school, I really wanted to concentrate on finding frogs around me. My dad took my sisters and I to a little pond one night, where hundreds of Cricket Frogs chorused around us. From then on, I was hooked. I followed my dad on his fishing trips, but instead of fishing, I would be flipping rocks and logs along the shore. I started taking my mom's digital camera out with me to photograph some of the finds. Both of my parents have fueled my love for herps greatly with their willingness to take me to all corners of the state, and I would have hard time doing it without them.

A big change came in my hobby when I met other people that liked the same thing. Andrew and I met over an online forum for field herpers, and we arranged to meet up for some herping. Since then, we have been out many times in the field, mostly in Indiana.

I am currently pursuing my B.S. at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. Moving to the great Southeast has provided me with endless new herpetological challenges and opportunities, and I am currently working in the Maerz Herpetology Lab on a variety of projects involving Plethodontid salamanders. Other than my southern relocation and the integration of "y'all" into my vocabulary, not much has changed since we began this site!

Although I am no longer located in the Hoosier State, I still "dream about the moonlight on the Wabash"...and all the mudpuppies within that I never managed to find.