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The reptile world has a wide variety of organizations. How do they all fit together?

This is how I see it:

The Pet Industry Advisory Council (PIJAC) is the largest and oldest pet business and pet-owner lobbying organization in the United States. I don't agree with all their policies or politics, but I do support their positions on reptile and amphibian issues.

This is an organization I've worked with for over ten years in an advisory role. In terms of beltway politics, they are the organization that the federal government and NGOs regularly turn to for pet- and herp-related issues, including pending regulation and legislation. They have had input on every major herp regulation implemented at the federal level in the last 40 years.

With management staffed primarily by attorneys, backed by the major pet industry players, and with a newly expanded reptile and amphibian advisory panel headed by Scott Hardin, formerly of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, PIJAC is the go-to organization for herp issues in D.C. While they rarely receive press, and rarely claim victories publicly, they are the most effective organization at the federal level, and that should remain their primary focus.

What they have always lacked has been an effective mechanism to reach small businesses and individual pet owners, as well as an effective mechanism to deal with state issues. Additionally, with a focus primarily on the pet trade, they are less equipped to deal with aspects of our hobby such as venomous keeping.

The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) is the most effective organization we have for reaching the grassroots. It also can work in issue and advocacy areas that PIJAC doesn't or can't, particularly with small business and pet owners. It should work hand in hand with PIJAC to insure our community is represented both nationally and a state level. In turn, PIJAC should work with USARK to utilize the input from the USARK member base in the most effective way, providing support on state issues when requested, and requesting support from the USARK membership on national issues as needed. USARK has the best tools and structure to assist states directly as needed and requested by state-based organizations and members.

The National Reptile and Amphibian Advisory Council (NRAAC) provides educational support, and draws different organizations and agencies concerned with reptiles, amphibians, and the law together to discuss -- in a non-political and non-confrontational manner -- the laws and regulations effecting reptiles, amphibians, and people at an annual symposium.

NRAAC should continue on with its annual conference, taking it on the road to a new location every year, and should continue with projects such as the national reptile and amphibian law database, and other informational and educational projects that benefit the community as whole.

As a non-member, all-volunteer organization, NRAAC needs to draw on the resources of PIJAC and USARK and its membership for support, financial and otherwise. NRAAC should invite federal and agencies as well as NGOs to sit on its various steering committees to help determine the direction of the organization and its symposium, and will be doing so in 2013. NRAAC is not a lobbying organization.

Herpetological societies, clubs, and organizations, such as the East Texas Herp Society and Chicago Herp Society, draw herp people together from many disciplines, providing a social network, acting as trip-wire on state and local issues, and providing a strong network of support locally.

As a community, we need more and stronger herp societies to help promote education and rescue efforts, provide information, and give and receive input on regulatory efforts on state, local, and national level. Herp societies should be the backbone of dealing with most state regulatory efforts.

In cases where the societies are unable to step forward or do not exist, USARK and PIJAC should put the systems in place to provide support to their members in those states. USARK and PIJAC should both work to expand the loose herp society network that is already in place, even though herp societies are not, and should never be, lobbying organizations.

The Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) also has a significant role to play in the community. Without their input, many of the things the other organizations are trying to accomplish would simply be impossible. They provide much of the research that makes the other organizations effective, help train the herp veterinarians of tomorrow, care for our pets, and help to recognize the rise of pathogens that may harm our animals and our community.

The (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) (AZA) also plays an important, and often overlooked, role in our community, with many zoo professionals having started as hobbyists. Zoological parks and aquariums play perhaps the most important part, teaching youth the value of animals, habitats, and ecology and giving many children their first hands-on experience with reptiles and amphibians.

These facilities also act in many cases as "arks" for critically endangered species, providing controlled captive breeding programs that allow some species to survive in captivity when their wild compatriots have vanished, and allowing for re-introduction when appropriate. Also important is the research they do on those same species, and on many less-endangered native species.

Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) plays the important role of connecting all these disparate organizations upstream to federal and state agencies, as well as conservation-focused NGOs like as the Sierra Club and World Wildlife Fund to promote conservation of reptiles and amphibians nationwide and worldwide.

Reptile and amphibian rescues, such as Small Scale Rescue and VA Reptile Rescue are the final link in the organizational chain, providing important support to both wild and captive reptiles, as well as injured, abandoned, or confiscated animals. Usually overlooked and overworked -- and always underfunded -- these organizations need to be embraced by both USARK and PIJAC, and given assistance in formalizing their structures as needed and requested. The network of rescues needs to be strengthened and enlarged, with more support provided by the organizations and community.

What role do you see for organizations in our community? Are there any that I have missed?