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300 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2006 IRCF ON THE MOVE

IRCF Conservation Champion
Award: Stesha Pasachnik

Stesha Pasachnik is the first recipient of the
new IRCF Conservation Champion
Award. Stesha received the award to allow
her to travel to the IUCN Iguana Specialist
Group Meeting in Pureto Rico to present
critical information about the status of
Ctenosaura and to generate conservation
interest in the genus. Stesha spent six
months in Honduras from Feburary 2006
through July 2006 collecting data (see arti-
cle on p. 264), and will return again next
year to continue her efforts.

Project Heloderma: Meeting in
Guatemala City

A Project Heloderma meeting was held
at the Zootropic office in Guatemala
City, Guatemala on 26 September 2006
to discuss the next phase of the project
and the distribution of funds collected
from the Daytona Expo auction.
Attending the meeting were Rodrigo
Botran, Luis Alvarado, and Daniel
Ariano from Zootropic, Brad Lock from
Zoo Atlanta, and John Binns from the
IRCF.

Action priorities discussed included:
Environmental education, research, land
acquisition, and the in situ breeding facil-

ity. Resolved were: (1) Continuing sup-
port for educational material, such as
1000 T-shirts to be distributed to local
schools in the Motagua Valley, an aware-
ness poster, school supplies, and other
handout materials. Five hundred dollars
was allotted, with additional funds cov-
ered by individual fundraising cam-
paigns. (2) Support for research equip-
ment needs through 2007; $2,500–
3,000 was allotted to purchase 15 radio-
tracking transmitters, handheld GPS
units, and AVID chips. Not funded but
discussed as a potential independent
campaign was the need for a field vehicle
and compensation for a local field assis-
tant. (3) The major decision from the
meeting was approval to purchase a 285-
acre plot of land ($30,000) as a reserve
and breeding facility site. The remaining
balance of auction funds ($12,500) was
allocated toward this purchase. Project
Heloderma partner San Diego Zoo has
since contributed $5,000, and Toronto
Zoo and Jacksonville Zoo also have
promised contributions. The remaining
funds needed to purchase this critical
property amount to about $11,000.
Please visit IRCF.org for more informa-
tion. (4) The breeding facility was not
discussed in any detail to avoid sidetrack-
ing the meeting’s purpose. Some of the
basic topics discussed were construction
of the facility with the aid of local labor,
facility location at the base of the prop-
erty, on-going research to determine
breeding strategies, long-term ideas about
a visitor attraction such as the Grand
Cayman Blue Iguana Breeding and head-
starting facility.

The IRCF, Zoo Atlanta, and
Zootropic once again thank all the con-
tributors and volunteers from the
Daytona Expo auction as well as the San
Diego Zoo for contributions; together
these have already made a significant
impact on Project Heloderma’s progress
towards saving the Guatemalan Beaded
Lizard.

Project Ctenosaura palearis: 
A Chance for Survival

While visiting Guatemala, John Binns,
IRCF, opened a separate discussion about
Ctenosaura palearis (the Paleate Spiny-
tailed Iguana, also known as the
Guatemalan Black Iguana), proposing
the inclusion of a recovery action plan for
this species under Zootropic’s umbrella.
Ctenosaura palearis appears on the IUCN
Red List as Critically Endangered, and its
know distribution range lies within the
same area of the Motagua Valley as that
of the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard.
Specifically, the recovery action plan
would involve the inclusion of C. palearis
in Zootropic’s educational program, the
development of a research component
with the aid of college students, and a
primary focus on utilizing the breeding
facility to raise animals for repatriation as
soon as possible.

The proposal was unanimously
accepted. Since returning from
Guatemala, Daniel Ariano and field assis-
tant Gilberto Salazar have located four
males and one female C. palearis, and
currently are monitoring these animals.
Paola Coti, a Guatemalan undergraduate
college student, has already taken the ini-
tial steps to develop her research program
(Daniel Ariano is her advisor) to deter-
mine distribution, ecology, and the con-
servation status of C. palearis. Stesha
Pasachnik, University of Tennessee, will
be assisted by Zootropic to obtain per-
mits to take C. palearis tissue-samples
during her 2007 visit to the Motagua
Valley. Stesha is working on Ctenosaura
genetics.

Within a short few months,
Zootropic has provided hope for this
species’ future, after an extended period
during which no action was being taken

I R C F  O N  T H E  M O V E

Stesha Pasachnik, from the University of
Tennessee, will be working with Zootropic
collecting tissue samples of Ctenosaura
palearis for genetic analysis in 2007. Stesha,
the first recipient of the IRCF Conservation
Champion award is shown here holding a
Ctenosaura similis on the island of Utila,
Honduras.

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The Project Heloderma meeting ran late into
the evening. Pictured from left are Brad Lock,
Zoo Atlanta, Luis Alvarado, Zootropic,
Rodrigo Botran, Zootropic, and Daniel
Ariano, Zootropic. Not shown, John Binns,
IRCF.

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2006 301IRCF ON THE MOVE

to save this species. Currently this is an
unfunded project, and the ongoing work
is being conducted without compensa-
tion. The IRCF website will soon have a
section dedicated to the project in order
to disseminate information and provide

a port to receive contributions. If you are
interested in contributing to this effort,
please contact John Binns (jfb@ircf.org).

NARBC, Anaheim, California:
Ingenuity

On 8–9 September, with the entire staff
committed elsewhere, IRCF didn’t have
the human resources necessary to man a
booth at the NARBC in Anaheim,
California. Improvising, Desiree Wong,
IRCF Public Relations, loaded up her

messenger bag with IRCF material,
armed herself with a camera, and headed
for Anaheim. She secured five new mem-
bers, including the well-known personal-
ity Nigel Marven, who praised IRCF’s
conservation efforts.

Indy Reptile Expo: 
IRCF Makes its Debut

Kacie and Joe Ehrenberger and Dee
Asbury manned the IRCF booth at the
Indy Reptile Expo in Indianapolis,
Indiana, on 4–5 November 2006. Kacie,
Joe, and Dee secured 15 new members
and contributions towards our conserva-
tion programs. Thanks guys!

San Jose Reptile Show: 
Teaming-Up

Our first convention in the San Francisco
Bay Area (San Jose, California, 11–12
November) was manned by the Binns
family and Joel and Mason Friesch. This
show was a joint venture with Michael
Kern (The Gardens of Eden;
www.TheKernFamilyZoo.com), who
supported our efforts and donated the
proceeds of his sales at the show to the
IRCF. Thank you, Michael! Our Cyclura
ambassador “Izzy” was on station for a
total of 16 hours and drew massive

crowds. Sandy Binns gave two presenta-
tions on conservation awareness. The
show resulted in 11 new members and
contributions towards our conservation
efforts.

Kacie Ehrenberger, center and Dee Asbury,
right, assist a new IRCF member in
Indianapolis. 

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IRCF members Tell Hicks, left, Bob Ashley,
center, and Joe Ehrenberger, right.

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In their initial effort to locate the
Guatemalan Black Iguana (Ctenosaura
palearis), Daniel Ariano and Gilberto Salazar
found four males and one female. The male
depicted above is one of the individuals cur-
rently under observation.

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Desiree Wong poses with new IRCF mem-
ber, Nigel Marven. 

Joel Friesch (behind the table at left) and
Sandy Binns (right) are assisted by Joel’s son,
Mason (center).

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“Izzy” was on display each day for eight
hours delighting visitors, including members
of this family getting their first look at an
adult Cuban Iguana.

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The IRCF booth attracted large crowds
throughout the Show. Gang Chen, a photo-
journalist and correspondent for the China
News Service (far left), interviewed staff
about IRCF conservation efforts.

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Sandy and John Binn’s son, Don, and his
fiancée Kim Claussen, took turns manning
the booth. Don (facing forward) discusses
the problems faced by wildlife today.

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302 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2006 IRCF ON THE MOVE

Member Highlight: 
Jake Edmondson 

Jake Edmondson, an enthusiastic high
school junior in Virginia, aspires to be a
herpetologist one day. He has joined the
IRCF and is promoting membership at
his school and at reptile shows in his
community. His passion for reptiles is
matched by his energy to sign up new
members. Armed with copies of the
Journal, membership forms, and
brochures, he has attended shows, made
presentations to his class, and is trying to
get the local paper to publish his IRCF
promotion efforts.

Going, Going, Gone?
Animals on the Brink of Extinction

and How You Can Help.
The clock is ticking: Can it be stopped?
Many scientists believe that we are on the
brink of a new mass extinction, with at
least one million species in danger of not
surviving to the end of the century. Can
we turn the tide, changing the way we

live and giving these creatures a chance?
In the very first book of its kind, 100
conservation organizations from around
the world each nominate a species —
animal or plant — that it believes is most
threatened. Every one selected received a
two-page spread, with magnificent pho-
tography, fascinating facts, details on why
it is endangered, and information on
how we can save it. The book provides
complete contact details for all featured
organizations (including IRCF, which
featured the Blue Iguana Recovery
Program). (Think Books, hardback, illus-
trated, 216 pp., ISBN:1845250273).

IRCF Staff Announcement: 
Michael Kern, COO

We are pleased to announce that Michael
Kern has officially joined the IRCF as
Chief Operating Officer. Michael has
spent the last 24 years as partner with the
global technology management and con-
sulting firm Accenture, where he helped
large Fortune 500 companies apply tech-
nology to create business advantages.

Michael is also an accomplished
wildlife photographer and writer. He
won the 2005 Nactus Award and two
International Herpetological Symposium
Best-in-Show Awards for his wildlife
photography.

Additionally, his writing and pho-
tography have appeared in several leading
nature and photography magazines. By
adding Michael’s fresh perspective, busi-
ness acumen, ability to manage complex
programs, and photographic and writing
skills to the already strong team at IRCF,
the organization will be able to address
even more efficiently the conservation
needs of reptiles and the ecosystems that
support them. Michael, his wife Yukie,
and their two boys Josh and Alex reside
in Palo Alto, California.

Sandy Binns gave two conservation presenta-
tions during the San Jose Reptile Show.

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Jake Edmondson, IRCF member, displaying
a recent issue of the journal and wearing the
limited edition Project Heloderma T-shirt,
has been actively promoting the Foundation
at his school and at local shows.




