History of Herpetology @ FHSU and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History
1902
Western Branch of the State Normal School Opened
1909
Lyman D. Wooster (1884-1960) arrived at FHSU.
1913
Name changed to Fort Hays Kansas Normal School
1914
C. W. Miller, Jr. was appointed curator of the museum in the spring of 1914. At that time, the museum consisted of “hundreds of articles of historical, sociological, and scientific interest located in several departments and offices of the college.” Mounted birds and mammals were included in the collections at the time (described as a menagerie of local forms) but amphibians and reptiles are not specifically mentioned. (Walker, Myrl. Hays Daily News, Sunday 23 April 1961). "Mr. C. W. Miller was appointed curator of the museum in the spring of 1914, but it is well known that he was acting in that capacity for some time previous. Records indicate that he served as museum curator as early as 1910.
1917
Wooster, Lyman D. Nature Study. Bulletin Kansas State Printing Plant, Topeka, Kansas.. 63pp.
1923
Name changed to The Kansas State Teachers College of Hays
1925
Wooster, Lyman D. Nature studies (animals). Section IV. Reptiles and amphibians. Kansas State Teachers College Hays Bulletin 15(4):57-64
1926
Museum rooms were constructed in Forsyth Library (Picken Hall) to house a collection of natural history specimens that had been growing since the early days of the college. These were encouraged by then president W. A. Lewis "... was enthusiastic about the development of an interesting museum for the students and people of Western Kansas and was thinking of the future growth of the college when he encouraged the development of museum facilities on the campus." "The library room was on the second floor in the northwest corner and it was possible to divide the room with a large pull-down wooden door. When the library room was divided, the north section was used as a museum room, but it was not long until all space was needed for the library. The library and museum then apparently shared the same space. The Normal School Leader of February 9, 1915, mentions that Miss Bice, the librarian, found it necessary to "place some tables in the museum room" to relieve the crowded condition in the library."
1927
President Lewis convinced independent paleontologist George F. Sternberg (of Oakley) to relocate to Hays. He given office space and workroom facilities adjacent to the museum rooms with the title of Curator of Geology and Paleontology.
1928
President Lewis invited distinguished mycologist and botanist Elam Bartholomew to move to Hays, with space in the newly completed Science Building (??McCartney Hall??).
1931
Name changed to Fort Hays Kansas State College
1933
Thesis: Falls, Olive. An Analysis of the Habitat Distribution of the Vertebrate Fauna of a Streambank Associated in Western Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. pp. (Major Professor: Lyman D. Wooster). Notes: Studied the ecology of vertebrates along an approximately mile long portion of Big Creek on the FHSU campus between 20 September 1932 and 20 July 1933. She recorded the Plains Leopard Frog (Lithobates blairi), Blanchard's Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi), American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), Plains Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus), Speckled Kingsnake (Lampropeltis holbrooki), Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer), Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon), North American Racer (Coluber constrictor), Western Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis proximus), Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta), Six-line Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus), and Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) from the site. She collected no permanent specimens. She does mention the existence of "unpublished records of the Department of Zoology of the Fort Hays Kansas State College" and makes comparison of them in regard to the absence of toads (Bufo spp.) discovered during her study. Her thesis was never published as far as I can tell.
1934
President C. E. Rarick appointed George Sternberg as Curator of Museums for all museums except the Bartholomew Herbarium.
1935
Thesis: Brennan, Lawrence A. Notes on the Distribution of Amphibia and Reptilia of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 114pp. (Major Professor: Lyman D. Wooster). Notes: Studied the amphibians and reptiles of Ellis County, Kansas from 1931-1934. A checklist was published in 1934 (Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37: 189-191) and portions of the thesis in 1937 (Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 40: 341-347). Collected and deposited specimens. These specimens are not in the current collection. It is likely they were not curated prior to 1960 and had been discarded. None of the three published accounts cite specimen numbers. Brennan references the "unpublished records of L. D. Wooster, Department of Zoology, Fort Hays State Kansas State College" for three species (Ophisaurus attenuatus, Phrynosoma hernandesi, and Lampropeltis calligaster) in those records that he was unable to find during his study.
1935
Wooster, Lyman D. Notes on the effects of drought on animal populations in western Kansas. 38(): 351-352.
1937
Wooster, Lyman D. Nature Studies. John S. Swift Company Incorporated, St. Louis, Missouri. pp
1941
Branson, F. and C. Deyoe. A study of snakes and lizards of Ellis County. Unpublished data. Fort Hays State College, Hays, Kansas. I have never been able to locate a copy of this. Joe Collins did not have it. Cited in Gish (1962) for (Plestiodon obsoletus, Holbrookia maculata, Coluber constrictor, Tantilla nigriceps, Pituophis catenifer, and Crotalus viridis) under "other specimens reported". Brian Gribben and MaryAlice Wade could not find it in the Special Collection department at Forsyth Library, FHSU.
1955
President M. C. Cunningham persuaded Myrl V. Walker, (BS 1927) to return to Hays and take over as Director of Museums. Mr. Sternberg is Curator of the Museum of Geology and Paleontology.
1960
Charles A. Ely (1933- ) joined FHSU Department of Biological Sciences
1961
Anonymous. Welcome to the museums of Fort Hays State College, Hays, Kansas. Fort Hays State Coll. Announcement, 1:5, pamphlet, illustr. Notes: Do not have a copy of this.
1961
Thesis: Smith, Jerrell L. (Major Professor: Gerald W. Tomanek) An Ecological Study of the Vertebrates of a Streambank Community in Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 94pp.
1962
Collection became Fort Hays Kansas State College (FHKSC)
1962
The herpetology collection reaches 100 specimens. FHSM-H 100 is part of a series of 120 Plethodon neomexicanus collected in the early 1960s by Eugene D. Fleharty and Clyde Jones (then doctoral students at the University of New Mexico). It is the largest museum collection of P. neomexicanus (Charlie Painter pers. comm. 1993)
1962
Thesis: Gish, Charles D (1937-2012). The Herpetofauna of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 34pp. Notes: Major Professor, Charles A. Ely. A follow-up to Brennan (1935). This study was never published. Specimens were collected and preserved, and catalog numbers were assigned (FH. This "catalog" is independent of and predates the existing catalog (FHKSC, FHSU, MHP, FHSM, et seq.). The whereabouts of this 'catalog' are unknown. Update: The ‘FH’ numbers in Gish’s thesis are represented as his personal field catalog numbers in the FHSU catalog (established 19 September 1963). A stated objective of Gish’s reseach was to “… initiate the development of a herpetological collection at Fort Hays Kansas State College.”.
1962
Eugene D. Fleharty (1934-) joined FHSU Department of Biological Sciences
1963
(19 September) Catalog of Amphibians and Reptiles, Fort Hays Kansas State College, Division of Biological Science created. Set the numbering system carried forth through today. Mirrored Gish’s FH numbering scheme from his 1962 thesis.
1963
The herpetology collection reaches 500 specimens. FHSM-H 500 is a Salvadora grahamiae from Socorro County, New Mexico collected in the early 1963 by T. L. Brown.
1964
The herpetology collection reaches 1000 specimens. FHSM-H 1000 is a Spea bombifrons from Reno County, Kansas collected in the early 1963 by G. A. Bennett.
1967
Fleharty, Eugene D. and Dwight R. Ittner. Additional locality records for some Kansas herptiles. Southwestern Naturalist 12(2):199-200
1968
James L. Knight (1946-) started school at FHSU in the Fall.
1969
Jerry D. Johnson (1947-) started school at FHSU in the Fall.
1969
Richard J. Zakrzewski (1940-), vertebrate paleontologist, joined the FHSU Department of Geosciences.
1969
The herpetology collection reaches 5000 specimens. FHSM-H 5000 is an Ambystoma mavortium from Ellis County, Kansas collected in April 1969 by Ronald E. Howard.
1973
Knight, James L., Eugene D. Fleharty, and Jerry D. Johnson. Noteworthy records of distribution and habits of some Kansas herptiles. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 75(3):273-275
1974
Fleharty, Eugene D. and Jerry D. Johnson. Distributional records of herptiles from the Chautauqua Hills of southeastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 77(1):65-67.
1975
Fort Hays Kansas State College, Sternberg Memorial Museum (FHSM) existed.
1975
Fort Hays Kansas State College, Museum of the High Plains (MHP) existed but not sure, when it started.
1977
Name changed to Fort Hays State University
1977
Knight, James L. and Joseph T. Collins. The amphibians and reptiles of Cheyenne County, Kansas, Report Number 15. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 19pp.
1978
Thesis: Latas, Patricia J. Community Structure and Insular Analysis of the Towns of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) in Western Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 112pp. (Major Professor: Gary K. Hulett)
1980
Rush, Michael S. and Eugene. D. Fleharty. Geographic distribution: Gastrophryne carolinensis. Herpetological Review 11():80
1981
Thesis: Rush, Michael S. The effectiveness of seven trapping techniques for amphibians, reptiles, and incidental mammals in the sandsage prairie. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 24pp. (Major Professor: Eugene D. Fleharty)
1981
Rush, Michael S. and Eugene. D. Fleharty. New county records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 84(4):204-208
1982
Thesis: Royal, Steven M. Herpetofauna of a Sandsage Prairie near Holcomb, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 47pp. (Major Professor: Eugene D. Fleharty)
1982
Rush, Michael S., Steven M. Royal, and Eugene D. Fleharty. New county records and habitat preferences of amphibians and reptiles from the sandsage prairie in Finney County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 85():165-173
1984
Thesis: Tomelleri, Joseph R. Dynamics of the Woody Vegetation along the Arkansas River in Western Kansas, 1870-1983. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 220pp.
1985
Staab, Rodney The Smoky Hill Route and Fort Fltecher Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 205pp. Through the History? Department. Two mentions of rattlesnakes (flshes this out).
1988
Fleharty, Eugene D. and Gary K. Hulett. Fort Hays State University natural areas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 91(1/2):41-43
1990
Travis W. Taggart (1970-) arrived as a Freshman (Student curator: August 1990-May 1995)
1992
Travis W. Taggart, appointed Field Trip Chairperson of the Kansas Herpetological Society publications (through 1994)
1992
Digitization of Herpetology catalog (collection numbers, species, and locality) (Stephen D. Hoofer; Travis W. Taggart)
1994
Taggart, Travis W. The natural history and distribution of the Green Toad (Bufo debilis) in Kansas, with a report on an effort to reintroduce the species into the Cimarron National Grasslands. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 12pp.
1995
Thesis: Adams, Steven P. Status of Bats in the Gypsum Hills of South-Central Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 39pp. (Major Professor: Jerry R. Choate). Mention of Great Plains Ratsnakes in caves.
1995
Travis W. Taggart left for graduate school at Southeastern Louisiana University.
1995
Fleharty, Eugene D. Wild Animals and Settlers on the Great Plains. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. pp.
1996
Sparks, Dale W. Distribution, Natural History, Conservation Status, and Biogeography of Bats in Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 230pp. Discussions of snakes as predators of bats. Dale contributed many herp specimens to the collection during his time as a MS student at FHSU.
1998
Charles A. Ely, retired as faculty member Department of Biological Sciences
1998
William J. Stark joined FHSU Department of Biological Sciences, began taking on graduate students with herpetological projects
1998
Curtis J. Schmidt and Mark VanDoren conduct herpetofaunal survey of the Fort Larned Historical Site.
1998
Curtis J. Schmidt, student curatorial assistant in herpetology.
1999
Curtis J. Schmidt began graduate course work under Willaim J. Stark.
1999
Eugene D. Fleharty, retired as faculty member Department of Biological Sciences, (May)
1999
Travis W. Taggart returns to FHSU, named Adjunct Curator of Herpetology
2000
Travis W. Taggart started Herpetology Tissue Collection. With tissues stored in ethanol. All new vouchered physical specimens are tissued.
2000
Taggart, Travis W. Biogeographic analysis of the reptiles (Squamata) in Ellis County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (121):7-16. Note: Publication of a Biological Systematics course final project taught by Jerry R. Choate in Fall 1995 at FHSU.
2000
Travis W. Taggart, appointed Editor of the Kansas Herpetological Society publications (through 2009)
2003
Travis W. Taggart named Associate Curator of Herpetology
2004
Thesis: Schmidt, Curtis J. Natural history and status of the exploited Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) in western Kansas and a herpetofaunal inventory of the Smoky Valley Ranch, Logan County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. pp. (Major Professor: William J. Stark). Radio-tracked Prairie Rattlesnakes on the Smoky Valley Ranch in Logan County, Kansas. Included demographic data from the rattlesnake round-up taking place in nearby Sharon Spring, Kansas.
2004
The herpetology collection reaches 10000 specimens. FHSM-H 10000 is a Virginia valeriae from Warren County, Pennsylvania collected in June 2004 by Brian Gray et al. The specimen was part of a larger collection of shed skins donated to FHSM-H.
2005
Curtis J. Schmidt named Associate Curator of Herpetology
2006
Taggart, Travis W. Addendum report to biological inventory of the sandsage prairie near Holcomb, Kansas. Sunflower Electric Cooperative, Hays, Kansas. 31pp. Notes: A follow-up to the work of Rush (1981) and Royal (1982).
2006
Taggart, Travis W. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106pp.
2006
Taggart, Travis W., Joseph T. Collins, and Curtis J. Schmidt. Herpetological collections and collecting in Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (17) 17-20.
2006
Curtis J. Schmidt, served as President of the Kansas Herpetological Society.
2007
Busby, William H., Jennifer M. Delisle, Craig C. Freeman, Kelly Kindscher, H. Loring, D. E. Nimz, and Curtis J. Schmidt. A natural features inventory of the Smoky Hill ANG Range, Kansas. Open-file Report No. 137. Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range, Salina, Kansas. 403pp.
2009
Thesis: Bender, David J. Population Characteristics and Diet of Western Massasauga in Central Kansas with Inference from Stomach Contents and Stable Isotopes of Carbon and Nitrogen. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 122pp. (Major Professor: William J. Stark)
2009
Reese E. Barrick (1964-) hired as Director, Sternberg Museum of Natural History
2010
Curtis J. Schmidt, appointed Editor of the Kansas Herpetological Society publications (through 2016)
2010
Travis W. Taggart, appointed Field Trip Chairperson of the Kansas Herpetological Society publications
2010
The herpetology collection reaches 15000 specimens. FHSM-H 15000 is a Thamnophis marcianus from Comanche County, Kansas collected in May 2010 by Travis W. Taggart.
2011
Collection became Fort Hays State University, Sternberg Museum of Natural History (FHSM)
2011
Curtis J. Schmidt named Zoological Collections Manager
2012
Travis W. Taggart, served as President of the Kansas Herpetological Society.
2012
Thesis: Rohweder, Megan R. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151pp. (Major Professor: Robert Channell)
2012
Thesis: Talbott, Katherine. Sexual selection dynamics in a a [sic] Smoky Hills population of Crotaphytus collaris. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 63pp. (Major Professor: William J. Stark)
2014
Travis W. Taggart joins the Kansas Nongame Wildlife Advisory Council, as the representative from the Kansas Herpetological Society
2014
Thesis: Helms, Clinton Nest Survival of Grassland Breeding Birds in a Southern Mixed-Grass Prairie Wetland. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 100pp. Discussion of snakes as predators of ground-nesting birds. Observation of a Speckled Kingsnake predating a meadowlark nest.
2014
Thesis: Prowant, Lisa M. Inferring Herpetofaunal Distributions and Habitat Preferences for Conservation Planning. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 224pp. (Major Professor: Robert Channell)
2015
Thesis: Brown, Kasandra A. Occupancy Modeling Of Herpetofauna And Grassland Nesting Birds At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 72pp.
2000
Travis W. Taggart, appointed Editor of the Kansas Herpetological Society publications
2017
Thesis: Snyder, Ariel. Survey of Anuran Chytrid (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Kansas and the Influence of Anuran Life History in Occurrence. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 53pp.
2018
Thesis: Mead, Joshua Spatial Ecology of the Western Massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus) in a Large Interior Wetland. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 69pp.
2018
Thesis: Rogers, Sean An aerial perspective: Using unmanned aerial systems to predict presence of Lesser Earless Lizards (Holbrookia maculata). Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 72pp.
2018
Thesis: Hullinger, Allison R. Critical habitat assessment and recovery plan for the Kansas State Threatened Broad-headed Skink. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 95pp. (Major Professor: William J. Stark)
2019
Curtis J. Schmidt, served as President of the Kansas Herpetological Society.
2020
Thesis: Lazerus, Nora K. Efficacy of non-lethal molecular methods in elucidating distribution of Gray Treefrog complex (Hyla chrysoscelis/versicolor) in Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 95pp. (Major Professor: William J. Stark)
2022
Thesis: Russell, Elisabeth. Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 95pp. (Major Professor: William J. Stark)
2023
Jackson R. Roberts hired as Zoological Collections Manager (through current)
2024
Willaim J. Stark, serving as President of the Kansas Herpetological Society.
2024
Jackson Roberts receives a $4,000 grant from FHSU to study Crotalus atrox genetics in a central Kansas population.
2024
Jackson Roberts, appointed Editor of the Kansas Herpetological Society publications