My name is Jason Poston, 26 years old (27 in a few weeks). A current PA resident living 15 mins south of Pittsburgh, PA. Originally from SC, where my fascination with herptile started. We lived fairly far out in the country and plenty of animals to keep a kid busy. It was may dad who inspired me and taught me about the herps in our backyard. There was the ever present danger of Diamondbacks,Timbers, Cottonmouths, Copperheads and Pygmies so I was taught what each snake was and which could be played with and which to avoid. Till this day I am uncertain of how I was never bit by either one with as many encounters as I had in those year. Plus there were tons of turtles, skinks, lizards and frogs to play with also. My dad has caught snakes most his life and still goes out with me and now I believe I am the student teaching the teacher.

So most my time in SC I was somewhere doing something in the woods and most the time it was herping. Though it was not till I moved to WV in 2003 for college that I started to expand my knowledge and to include photographing species. Moving to a new state taught me that there was a lot more out there to find and sometimes a lot harder. I went to school and got a degree in visual communications. Pertty much a waist of time and money, as I had already been in the line of work 5 years. So I learned nothing, but have a piece of paper that cost me a good bit of $.

I moved to PA to be closer to my daughter who is now 4. She loves being outdoors and herps with me every chance I let her. I’m glad I can pass down my knowledge and that she shows an intrest in herps. Hopefully it will stick. One of the things she like is me reading field guides to her and looking at photos in the books and here on the forum. I can’t tell you a herp she hasn’t seen that she dosn’t like. Even her 1st big word when she began to talk was turtle,she even knew the sign laungage for it.

So now in PA for a little over 4 years. I work as a freelance web designer/developer and other design related work. I spend most my time working, with my daughter. I herp when I can and I usually make time in between everything else to get out when the weather is nice for an hour or more a day. I do most herping with in my area and recently I have been studying the populations of queen snakes, and also writing a paper on northern ravine salamanders (where a lot of my time has been spent documenting this species and there use of habitat).

Taken by John.

In 2007 I had the idea that PA needed a Identification site to help the public ID the species they come in contact everyday. Six months later and with the help of the many great people the PA HERP ID website was born.

In 2009 after much though from the PA HERP ID site I started the Pennsylvania Herpetological Education and Resource Project an online resource center for the conservation of reptiles and amphibians of Pennsylvania.

I am also a contributor and the web developer for the Pennsylvania Herp Atlas website http://www.paherpatlas.org.

I find it satisfying to use my skills to help educate others on the herpitle of PA and to help the public understand these animals.