The Herpetology Club, first started in the fall of 2017, has seen a spike in student involvement over the past year.  

Eloy Martinez, club adviser, assistant biology professor and animal physiologist, said reptiles and amphibians have become quite vulnerable to humans, which has made herpetology a growing field in biology. 

Martinez said the Herpetology Club focuses on the important aspects of all reptiles and amphibians. 

“We have particularly been concerned about the (reptile and amphibian) population in a long term towards our presence,” he said. “Even though reptiles and amphibians have been studied for quite a bit of time, there is still a lot of information that remains to be solved.” 

Maggie Thomas, president and founder of the Herpetology Club and grad student majoring in biological sciences, said she has enjoyed interacting with the animals from the Herpetology Club.  

She said the animals found at the club have ranged from tortoises to boa constrictors throughout her time as a student at Eastern. 

Thomas said she has always taken care of animals and has absolutely loved doing it. 

“I’ve been taking care of some animals that are related to the (Life Sciences Building) since my freshman year,” Thomas said. “There was also a lab where I was a primary caretaker for all the critters that live on the first floor of (the building) my sophomore year. I have always loved getting to be with them every day.”  

Thomas said when she started the club last year, she wanted more people to become dedicated to learning more about amphibians and reptiles.  

A lot of people have become more dedicated to learning because of the club, she said. 

“People have walked by me and have asked me, ‘Can I pet this animal? Can I visit this guy regularly?’” she said.  

Thomas said she was pleased to see a spike in student interest in herpetology after the creation of the club. 

Colton Loew, vice president of the Herpetology Club and grad student majoring in biological sciences, said he became involved mainly through Thomas. 

“Maggie (Thomas) really got me interested. I just started talking to her,” he said. “She got me interested in the snakes. She told me, ‘Do you want to feed them?’ and I said yes,” Loew said. 

He said he hopes the Herpetology Club will make more people involved and spark a new passion to learn about herpetology. 

“One of our goals is to bring back green into the (building) and add more life back onto campus,” Loew said. “We want to add more displays and give people more reasons for people to want to come (to the Herpetology Club).” 

Loew also said one of the Herpetology Club’s future goals is to create more activities in the spring when the weather permits, such as overnight trips and “herp” searching, or looking for more reptiles and amphibians.

Nathan Cortez can be reached at 581-2812 or at nacortez@eiu.edu.