The Charles H. Lowe, Jr., Herpetology Research Fund

The Charles H. Lowe, Jr., Herpetology Research Fund was established to support research that contributes to the conservation of the herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert , including the states of Arizona , southern California , Sonora and on the Baja California peninsula and gulf islands. Dr. Cecil R. Schwalbe spearheaded the fund in honor of the many contributions to our understanding of herpetology in the Sonoran Desert by Dr. Lowe. The fund was inaugurated at the Current Research on the Herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert II Conference, April 2002.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Eligibility

Any current THS member is eligible to receive awards from the C.H. Lowe Research Fund. Researchers need not be affiliated with an institution and need not have previous experience. Pre K-12 educational institutions and students are encouraged to apply. THS Board Members and Lowe Fund Committee Members are not eligible.

Funding

Beginning in 2004, proposals will be reviewed annually on 1 March. Decisions to award will be made on the value of the research being proposed and not on the experience or status of the person making the request. No requests will be approved that involve collecting animals for personal collections or profit. Requests are not to exceed $500. Although the fund is primarily for the purchase of equipment, requests can include personnel and travel costs. All awards are subject to THS board approval. Awards may not necessarily be granted every period and are subject to availability of funds. Funding may be awarded out of cycle under special circumstances.

Proposals

Requests should include a general description of the project, its objectives and methods, and time frame for both equipment use and project closure (not to exceed 2 pages, single-spaced). A detailed budget should be included (not to exceed 1 page). The C.H. Lowe Research Fund Committee will review proposals blind (i.e., cover pages will be removed before proposals are distributed to reviewers so that reviewers will not be influenced by knowing who submitted a particular proposal). Proposals should be submitted to the C.H. Lowe Fund Committee Chair (Taylor Edwards) with a cover page including contact information, and four copies of the project description and budget. Project descriptions should avoid reference to the applicant to maintain anonymity during the review process.

Proposals meeting the following criteria have a better chance of success:

• Focuses on herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert ;
• Contributes to conservation;
• Contributes to education;
• Is novel or unique;
• Is not supported by other means;
• Provides geographic distribution data;
• Allows equipment to be shared among multiple projects.

Deliverables:

All awardees are required to submit a project report for publication in the Sonoran Herpetologist's “Current Research News” within six months of the award. This report will include a description of the project and may consist of just a few lines to several paragraphs, dependent on the scope of the work. For appropriate projects, the committee may also encourage submission of a full-length article to the Sonoran Herpetologist.

Equipment :

Equipment already owned by the THS can be requested at any time (email or snail mail acceptable) from the C.H. Lowe Fund Committee Chair. Equipment may not be available if already in use, and equipment already in use may need to be shared among multiple projects. Committee members can authorize the use of equipment without board approval and will balance multiple requests to the best of their ability.

All equipment purchased from the C.H. Lowe Fund is the property of the THS and can be withdrawn from a project at any time upon request of the committee. Expendable items awarded during a project may remain property of the awardee. It is understood that damage to and loss of field equipment can occur. Researchers are asked to treat THS equipment with care and respect. Equipment lost or damaged on a project will not necessarily be replaced.

Additional information:

Researchers must adhere to federal and state Fair Labor, Civil Rights and ADA Regulations. Awardees must be in accordance with all federal and state laws regarding wildlife, animal welfare, and land access. Awardees will be responsible for acquiring the proper permits for conducting such research (wherever that research may be conducted), which may be requested by the committee. Awards will be revoked immediately if compliance is not met. The THS holds no responsibility for research deliverables that may be required by other participating parties on the project.