Eric Stitt was born in Berkeley California during the turbulent and colorful 1960’s and spent his formative years roaming the hillsides and creeks of the eastern Bay Area. His passion has always been reptiles and amphibians, and over time has developed particular interests in the population and community biology, habitat relations, conservation, and biogeography of these unique animals. He received a B. S. degree in biology from California State University, Sacramento (1998) and a M. S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Arizona in 2004. Mr. Stitt has studied movement and reproductive ecology of desert tortoises, population ecology of Sonora mud turtles, demography and distribution of non-native watersnakes in California, and is a member of the multi-agency Nerodia Working Group, a coalition of biologists working to manage watersnakes in western states. He works as a biological consultant in the Sacramento area and sees a great need for addressing rattlesnake/human conflict and information dissemination in the rapidly populating foothills of California.