The Suzanne L. and Joseph T. Collins Award for Excellence in Kansas Herpetology
General Conditions of The Collins Award
Because of a substantial seed grant from Westar Energy, Topeka, Kansas, this Award was established by the Board of Directors of The Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH) in 1997 as a trust in perpetuity in recognition of the scientific and photographic achievements of Suzanne L. Collins and Joseph T. Collins, whose life-long study and conservation of the native amphibians, turtles, and reptiles of Kansas is amply demonstrated in their extensive and excellent writings and photography, both academic and popular, about these animals.
The Award shall be known as the
Suzanne L. and Joseph T. Collins Award for Excellence in Kansas Herpetology
The Collins Award, if a qualified recipient is identified, shall be presented once each year, and may not be divided, but must be presented in full to a single individual. The recipient of The Collins Award shall be chosen by the Kansas Herpetological Society, and the amount of the award shall be presented to the recipient by CNAH, in accordance with an agreement between these two entities. To receive The Collins Award, the recipient must be present at the annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society.
Specifications of The Collins Award
In even-numbered years, The Collins Award shall be bestowed upon an individual who, in the preceding two calendar years, accomplished the following:
Had published a paper of academic excellence on the systematics, ecology, or conservation of a native species of Kansas amphibian(s), turtles(s), and/or reptile(s) in the Journal of Kansas Herpetology, Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, Herpetological Review, or the Journal of Herpetology, and/or presented a lecture of excellence on the systematics, ecology, or conservation of a native species of Kansas amphibian(s), turtle(s) and/or reptile(s) on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society. To qualify for The Collins Award, a portion of the field work or observations must have occurred in Kansas, or the systematic data must have been based in part on Kansas specimens.
In odd-numbered years, The Collins Award shall be bestowed upon an individual who accomplished the following:
Was chosen the best in a juried competition featuring the art of photography in portraying amphibians, turtles, and/or reptiles, said competition to take place under the auspices and on the occasion of the November annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society. To qualify for The Collins Award, the art work must portray species native to Kansas.
Recipients of The Suzanne L. and Joseph T. Collins Award for Excellence in Kansas Herpetology
1998 - Paper/Presentation Travis W. Taggart - University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
1999 - Photograph Gregory A. Sievert - Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas
2000 - Paper/Presentation Emily C. Moriarty - University of Texas, Austin
2001 - Photograph Daniel D. Fogell - University of Nebraska, Omaha
2002 - Paper/Presentation John F. Cavitt - Kansas State University, Manhattan
2003 - Photograph Larry L. Miller - Northern Hills Junior High School, Topeka, Kansas
2004 - Paper/Presentation Dwight R. Platt - Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas
2005 - Photograph Larry L. Miller - Northern Hills Junior High School, Topeka, Kansas
2006 - Paper/Presentation Henry S. Fitch - The University of Kansas
2007 - Photograph J. Daren Riedle - West Texas A and M University, Canyon
2008 - Paper/Presentation Dustin J. Wilgers - Kansas State University, Manhattan
2009 - Photograph Paul Rodriguez - University of Nebraska, Omaha
2010 - Paper/Presentation George R. Pisani - Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence
2011 - Photograph Gregory A. Sievert - Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas
2012 - Paper/Presentation William J. House - Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas
2013 - Photograph Curtis J. Schmidt - Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Hays, Kansas
2014 - Paper/Presentation- Walter Meshaka - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
2015 – Photograph Josh Mead Hays, Kansas
2016 – Paper/Presentation George R. Pisani Lawrence, Kansas
2017 – Photograph Jacob Basler St. Marys, Kansas
2018 – Paper/Presentation Colleen Rothe-Groleau Omaha, Nebraska
2019 – Photograph Tyler Albertson Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2020 – Paper/Presentation Allison Hullinger Ellsworth, Kansas
2021 – Photograph Benjamin Reed Topeka, Kansas
2022 – Paper/Presentation Alexis Powell Emporia, Kansas
2023 – Photograph Johana Goyes Vallejos Columbia, Missouri
2024 – Paper/Presentation Emma Buckardt Pittsburg State University/Nevada, Iowa
The Center for North American Herpetology is grateful to the following, whose financial contributions made The Collins Award possible:
Corporate Contributors
JTC Enterprises, Lawrence, Kansas
Stevens and Brand, L.L.P., Lawrence, Kansas
Touchstone Energy, Washington, D. C.
Westar Energy, Topeka, Kansas
Individual Contributors
Adler, Kraig, Ithaca, New York
Anderson, Pat and John, Lawrence, Kansas
Barry, Sean, Davis, California
Brand, John W., Lawrence, Kansas
Brunfeldt, Joan, Lawrence, Kansas
Brunson, Ken and Lee Ann, Pratt, Kansas
Capps, Lee and Lois, Lawrence, Kansas
Casper, Gary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Chaffee, David and Pamela, Lecompton, Kansas
Clay Blair, Overland Park, Kansas
Collicott, Sheila F., Charlotte Hall, Maryland
Collins, Jeffrey George, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Collins, Jerry and Kay, Cincinnati, Ohio
Combes, Hannes, Lawrence, Kansas
Creque, Terry R., Springfield, Virginia
Cross, Frank and Marie, Lawrence, Kansas
Cumberland, Carol and Harry, Wichita, Kansas
Debicki, Andrew, Lawrence, Kansas
Edwards, Carrol and Virgie, Lawrence, Kansas
Elmore, John and Rosie, Lawrence, Kansas
Gallagher, Patricia, Prairie Village, Kansas
Green, Nancy and Jerry, Knoxville, Tennessee
Greer, Allen E., Kings Cross, Australia
Haack, Paul and Maggie, Columbia Heights, Minnesota
Hatton, Donald and Carol, Lawrence, Kansas
Hayes, John, Topeka, Kansas
Herman, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A., Linwood, Kansas
Howard, Doug and Judy, St. Joseph, Missouri
Hornyak, Valerie, Toldeo, Ohio
Huelsmann, Martin J. and Shirley A., Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky
Illg, Susan, Lenexa, Kansas
Irwin, Kelly J., College Station, Texas
Ivy, Deanna, Grand Prairie, Texas
Johnson, Robert, Lawrence, Kansas
Johnston, Richard F. and Lora Lee, Lawrence, Kansas
Kamb, Al, Lawrence, Kansas
McEachen, Joann and Gary, Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Miller, Suzanne L. and Larry L., Wakarusa, Kansas
Mills, Barbara Nash, Beverly Hills, California
Miltner, Dorothy, Lawrence, Kansas
Moriarty, Emily, Notre Dame, Indiana
Nelick, Kathryn, Lawrence, Kansas
Praeger, Mark and Sandy, Lawrence, Kansas
Raney, Richard, Lawrence, Kansas
Salzberg, Allen S., Forest Hills, New York
Scannell, Dale and Marilyn, Indianapolis, Indiana
Schmidt, David, Kansas City, Missouri
Shaw, Susanne, Lawrence, Kansas
Strawn, Rick, Kansas City, Missouri
Sudlow, Robert and Barbara, Lawrence, Kansas
Tacha, Deanell and John, Lawrence, Kansas
Taggart, Bruce and Germaine, Hays, Kansas
Taggart, Travis W., Hammond, Louisiana
Tarnower, Amy, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Toepfer, Karen, Hays, Kansas
Trouslot, Barbara, Lawrence, Kansas
Van Blaricum, Galenand and Karen, Lawrence, Kansas
Weaver, Chelsea, Salado, Arkansas
Weaver, Randy and Nancy, Salado, Arkansas
Whelan, Richard and Carol, Prairie Village, Kansas
Wildgen, Mike and Linda, Lawrence, Kansas
Wolfe, Carl W., Republican City, Nebraska
Wyatt, Flora and Benji, Lawrence, Kansas
Yetman, Norman and Anne, Lawrence, Kansas
The Joseph B. Slowinski Award for Excellence in Snake Systematics
General Conditions of The Slowinski Award
Because of a substantial contribution from Deutsche Bank (New York City), and the individual contributions by his many friends and colleagues (see below), this Award was established in 2002 by the Board of Directors of The Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH) as a trust in perpetuity in recognition of the scientific achievements of the late Joseph B. Slowinski, whose life-long study on amphibian, chelonian, and reptilian evolution, especially venomous snakes, was amply demonstrated in his extensive academic and popular writings, photography, and scholarship.
Specifications of The Slowinski Award
The Slowinski Award, shall be presented once each year provided a qualified recipient is identified. In the absence of a qualified recipient, no award will be given. The award may not be divided, but must be presented in full, to a single individual (in the case of multiple authors, the first author is automatically the recipient of the award). The recipient of The Slowinski Award will be chosen by a panel of at least three herpetologists, one of which will serve as chair, and which have been selected by the CNAH Board of Directors. The charge to this panel is to select the most significant published contribution to snake systematics worldwide for the award year.
Qualifications of The Slowinski Award
Eligibility for The Slowinski Award is automatic upon the publication of a qualifying manuscript in the previous calendar year. A qualifying manuscript must have undergone peer-review prior to its publication in an English periodical or book. Additionally, the content of the publication must examine the relationships or taxonomic status of any group of snakes. The Slowinski Award panel will have full discretion as to whether a manuscript meets the eligibility requirements.
Enough money has been raised to initiate an endowed trust in perpetuity, and a portion of the interest of the trust will be used to fund the award annually, while the remaining interest will be placed back into the fund.
Additional donations may be sent to:
The Center for North American Herpetology
1502 Medinah Circle
Lawrence, Kansas 66047
Make checks payable to CNAH, and indicate in the remarks section that the donation is toward The Slowinski Award.
Recipients of The Joseph B. Slowinski Award for Excellence in Snake Systematics
2003 - Thomas P. Wilcox - The University of Texas, Austin
2004 - Simon Creer - The University of Wales, Bangor
2005 - Zoltan T. Nagy - University of Heidelberg, Germany
2006 - Todd A. Castoe - University of Central Florida, Orlando
2007 - Brice P. Noonan - Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
2008 - Frank T. Burbrink - College of Staten Island/City University of New York
2009 - Kate L. Sanders - University of Adelaide, Australia
2010 - Christopher M. R. Kelly - Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
2011 - Paulo Passos - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
The Center for North American Herpetology is grateful to the following, whose financial contributions made The Slowinski Award possible:
Corporate Contributors
Deutsche Bank - New York, New York
Kansas Herpetological Society - Topeka, Kansas
The Center for North American Herpetology - Lawrence, Kansas
The W. Richard and Winifred W. Bingham Foundation - San Francisco, California
Individual Contributors
Armitage, Steven T. - Kansas City, Missouri
Bales, W. Kenton - Omaha, Nebraska
Beaham, Robert B. - Kansas City, Missouri
Becker, Bryan N. and Yolanda T. - Madison, Wisconsin
Blitt, Rita - Leawood, Kansas
Burbrink, Frank N. - New York, New York
Collins, Jerry and Kay - Cincinnati, Ohio
Collins, Suzanne L. and Joseph T. - Lawrence, Kansas
Crother, Brian and Mary - Hammond, Lousiana
Curry, William H. and Dorothy F. - Mission Woods, Kansas
DeLong, Lea Rosson - Des Moines, Iowa
Dieringer, Beverly - West Redding, Connecticut
Dillon, Robert and Marjorie - Thomas, West Virginia
Edgar, Howard and Betty - Hutchinson, Kansas
Edgar, Steven K and Rosalia M. L. Gomez-Mozo - Long Island City, New York
Fitch, Henry S. - Lawrence, Kansas
Fletcher, Deborah A. - Boston, Massachusetts
Foltz, Roger E. - Omaha, Nebraska
Francis, J. Scott - Kansas City, Missouri
Harju, Susanna - Kansas City, Missouri
Herman, Adriane K. - Kansas City, Missouri
Jensen, Don A.and Sallie H. - Kansas City, Missouri
Kenepaske, Linda - New York, New York
Kensett, James W. and Lenore B. - Chanute, Kansas
Knight, James and Karin - Aiken, South Carolina
Lambert, Jonathan B. - Kansas City, Missouri
Lokke, John - Omaha, Nebraska
Luther, Marilyn and Tal - Taos, New Mexico
Masterman, Lucy R. - Tucson, Arizona
McFarland, Ruth F. - Kansas City, Missouri
Meshaka, Walter E., Jr. - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Moriarty, Carolyn - Omaha, Nebraska
Moriarty, Emily C. - Austin, Texas
O'Neal, John T. and Patricia L. - Chicago, Illinois
Peters, Dee - Santa Fe, New Mexico
Pipkin, Nick and Kelsey - Topeka, Kansas
Polsky, Steven - San Francisco, California
Pypes, Evelyn L. - Roeland Park, Kansas
Rasmussen, Stanley and Teresa - Overland Park, Kansas
Rosenkrantz, Gail - New York, New York
Ryan, Ann - Hays, Kansas
Scott, John C., Jr. - New York, New York
Slowinski, Ronald J. - Kansas City, Missouri
Taggart, Bruce and Germaine - Hays, Kansas
Taggart, Travis W. - Hays, Kansas
Torrence, Gaylord - Des Moines, Iowa
Van Keppel, G. William - Kansas City, Missouri
Weaver, Chelsea R. - Salado, Arkansas
Whitacre, David - Lisle, Illinois
White, Fifi - Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Wiley, MacKenzie - Hays, Kansas
Williams, Eva - Wichita, Kansas
Windsor, Sean D. - New York, New York
Wurst, Timothy A. and Gwen E. - Denver, Colorado
The George Toland Award for Ecological Research on North American Herpetofauna
General Conditions of The George Toland Award
Because of substantial contributions from Jerry D. Johnson (University of Texas, El Paso), James L. Knight (South Carolina State Museum), and Dan Johnson (Overland Park, Kansas), and individual contributions by their friends and colleagues (see below), The George Toland Award for Ecological Research on North American Herpetofauna was established in 2006 by the Board of Directors of The Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH) as a trust in perpetuity in recognition of the distinguished teaching career of the late George Fredrick Toland (1915–1992), a Salina (Kansas) biology teacher whose life-long field work with young folks in search of amphibians, chelonians, and reptiles was amply demonstrated in his extensive mentoring of the many students whose lives he so profoundly influenced. George was born in St. John, Kansas, on 25 September 1915. He received his Bachelor's Degree from McPherson College (Kansas) and his Master's Degree from Northern Colorado University. George taught school in the following Kansas communities: Canton, Turner, Caldwell, Minneapolis, and Salina. He was a horseman, a teacher, a poet, a writer, an author, a naturalist, a dramatics coach, a football coach, a statistician, a craftsman, a romantic, a photographer, but most of all he was a legend. He died on 15 March 1992 and is buried at his birthplace.
Specifications of The George Toland Award
Currently,The George Toland Award shall be made once each year in November to a qualified student presenting the best talk on the ecology of a North American amphibian, turtle, reptile, or crocodilian at the annual meeting of the Kansas Herpetological Society. The award may not be divided, but must be presented in full, to a single individual (in the case of multiple authors, the speaker is automatically the recipient of the award). The recipient of The George Toland Award will be chosen by a panel of at least three herpetologists, one of which will serve as chair, and which have been selected by the CNAH Board of Directors or its designate.
Enough money has been raised to initiate an endowed trust in perpetuity, and a portion of the interest of the trust will be used to fund the award annually, while the remaining interest will be placed back into the fund.
Additional donations may be sent to:
The Center for North American Herpetology 1502 Medinah Circle Lawrence, Kansas 66047
Make checks payable to CNAH, and indicate in the remarks section that the donation is toward The George Toland Award.
Recipients of The George Toland Award
2008 - Steve D. Grant - West Texas A and M University, Canyon, Texas
2009 - Emilie Blevins - Kansas State University, Manhattan
2010 - Katie Talbott - Fort Hays State University, Kansas
2011 - Denise M. Thompson - Missouri State University, Springfield
2012 - Alexander J. Anton - University of Nebraska-Omaha
2013 - Josh Mead - University of Nebraska, Lincoln
2014 - Maya McElfish - Emporia State University, Kansas
2015 - No award given
2016 - Carolyn Reiland-Smith - Boca Raton, Florida
2017 - Allison Hullinger - Hays, Kansas
2018 - Diedre L. Kramer - Hays, Kansas
2019 - Neil Balchan - Greeley, Colorado
2020 - Meghan Ward - Durham, Ontario, Canada
2021 - Emma Buckardt - Pittsburg, Kansas
2022 - Stephanie Bristow - Wichita, Kansas
2023 - Oceane Da Cunha - El Paso, Texas
The Center for North American Herpetology is grateful to the following, whose financial contributions made The George Toland Award possible:
Corporate Contributors
The McPherson Family Trust - Alpharetta, Georgia
Individual Contributors
Curtis J. Schmidt - Victoria, Kansas
Dan Johnson - Overland Park, Kansas
Deborah J. Keeler - Douglas, Wyoming
James L. Knight - Aiken, South Carolina
Jerry D. Johnson - El Paso, Texas
Joseph T. Collins - Lawrence, Kansas
Patricia J. (Ellis) Perry - Seaford, New York
Rick G. Strawn - Kansas City, Missouri
Robert D. Keeler - Douglas, Wyoming
S. Ross McNearney - Leawood, Kansas
Suzanne L. Collins - Lawrence, Kansas
Travis W. Taggart - Hays, Kansas