Sorry, this program is FULL. Please email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.

Salamanders under stones, frogs calling at night, snakes basking on a warm rock — the Smokies are home to one of the richest communities of reptiles and amphibians in North America. This weekend course gives you an inside look at these fascinating and often misunderstood creatures.

While the course will provide an overview of reptiles and amphibians in general, we will narrow our focus to specific adaptations and distributions of the many reptiles and amphibians found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as we observe them in their natural habitat. In the end, you will walk away with a new understanding and appreciation for our charismatic ectothermic friends. Get ready for a fun-filled weekend of hunting down herps!

Highlights include:

• Searching streams, wetlands, and forest floors for reptiles and amphibians.
• Learning key traits, behaviors, and ecological roles of local species.
• Understanding conservation issues affecting herps in the Southern Appalachians and beyond.
• Building your comfort with and appreciation for species often feared or overlooked.

Registration includes instruction, food, and lodging in our dorm inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

This course is part of Tremont’s Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program, which consists of eight core courses. You have the option to enroll in individual courses or complete all eight to earn certification awarded by the University of Tennessee.

Already Registered? Check out the welcome letter for required readings, a tentative itinerary, and other essential details for your stay.

Course Instructors:
John DiDiego, Education Director at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Dr. John Maerz, Professor of Vertebrate Ecology at University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and head of the Maerz Herpetology Lab