Our Staff
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Robert T. Zappalorti founded Herpetological Associates, Inc. (HA) in the spring of 1977. The firm specializes in the conservation and ecology of threatened and endangered amphibians and reptiles. Robert has conducted extensive scientific research on the bog turtle, wood turtle, redbelly turtle, timber rattlesnake, corn snake, pine snake, blue-spotted salamander, tiger salamander, southern gray treefrog, Pine Barrens treefrog, and many other species. He specializes in conservation and mitigation plans and was the first herpetologist to build hibernacula for snakes and other wildlife in natural habitat areas. Robert has also conducted wildlife inventories, intensive herpetological studies, and presence or absence surveys for a variety of clients. He has served as an expert witness and provided testimony in State and County Courthouses and before numerous Township Planning Boards. Robert is a published author of many books, scientific papers, and articles on herpetology. He is also an accomplished wildlife photographer, with photo credits in numerous books and magazines, including National Geographic Magazine. He has served as the official herpetological consultant to the Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Division of Fish and Wildlife, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Division of Coastal Resources (CAFRA), the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, The Trust for Public Land, and The Nature Conservancy.
Prior to starting HA, he was Associate Curator of Herpetology and Education at the Staten Island Zoological Society in New York between 1974 to1977. Robert also was a Reptile Keeper at the Staten Island Zoological Society between 1964 and 1974, and worked under the late Carl F. Kauffeld.
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Michael E. Torocco, Regional Manager, Pennsylvania
Michael E. Torocco is a herpetologist specializing in field surveys for Pennsylvania’s endangered and threatened herpetofauna and works extensively with the federally threatened bog turtle. He is recognized as a qualified bog turtle surveyor in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Also an expert in the ecology of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Michael has assisted in original research on the timber rattlesnake, pine snake, corn snake, and Pine Barrens treefrog. This research has included presence or absence surveys, radiotelemetry, habitat analysis, and nesting studies. His interest in the ecology of reptiles and amphibians has led Michael to assist in international research on the Aruba Island rattlesnake and montane Mexican herpetofauna. Mr. Torocco received a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Rutgers University and a Master of Science degree in Biology from Sul Ross State University. He has been with Herpetological Associates since 1994.
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Quill Bickley is a graduate of Drexel University where she studied environmental science and policy. Quill has been involved with presence/absence surveys, assisting in the research of some of Pennsylvania’s threatened and endangered species, as well as habitat management practices. Interested in flora and fauna everywhere, she was drawn to herpetofauna during her time spent in Costa Rica working with the leatherback sea turtle. She began working for Herpetological Associates as a seasonal field biologist in the spring of 2005 and has been with the company ever since.
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David Burkett has been with Herpetological Associates since 2006. Based out of the New Jersey office, David participates in surveys for endangered and threatened reptiles and amphibians in the northeast United States. He has been involved in an intensive seven-year radio-telemetry study of northern pine snakes, a state-listed species, in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. David also assists in presence or absence surveys for other state-listed species, including timber rattlesnakes, corn snakes, Pine Barrens treefrogs, and southern gray treefrogs, as well as the federally listed bog turtle. Besides reptiles and amphibians, David has developed a deep interest in birds and spends much of his spare time photographing the bird diversity of New Jersey. David Burkett studied Wildlife Science and Recreation and Park Management at Pennsylvania State University.
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William “Bill” Callaghan, Field Technician and Herpetologist
William Callahan is our key field herpetologist/biologist and has been with HA for the past 25 years. He has assisted with research on the gopher tortoise, bog turtle, wood turtle, timber rattlesnake, northern pine snake, corn snake, and indigo snake. He has assisted with numerous endangered and threatened reptile and amphibian surveys in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland and Florida.
In 2002 Bill retired from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife, after 20 years of service. He now divides his time, six months each year, between New Jersey and Florida. In the spring and summer months he is available for work on projects in the northeast such as bog turtle surveys and drift fence monitoring projects. In the winter he works on gopher tortoise and indigo snake projects in Florida.
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Raymond Farrell is a herpetologist and turtle ecologist. He has worked for Herpetological Associates for over twenty-five years. Ray’s specialty is with the ecology of endangered and threatened turtles of the Northeast, and is recognized as a qualified bog turtle surveyor in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. He has assisted with research on the bog turtle, wood turtle, timber rattlesnake, pine snake, and corn snake. Radiotelemetry and monitoring snake movements, plotting animal locations with GPS, presence or absence surveys, and habitat analysis were included as part of these projects. Ray graduated from the American Institute of Banking and majored in Accounting and Finance at Pace University.
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A graduate of Rutgers University and a past president of the Philadelphia Botanical Society (1988–2000), Ted Gordon is a leading authority on the habitats and flora of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Ted is a research specialist in rare and endangered plant species with more than 35 years experience in botanical studies, including contributions to major plant studies of endangered species in the Pinelands. Equally competent in the vegetation of the entire state and the northeastern United States, Ted primarily conducts rare species surveys and research, monitors habitats, and designs management plans for the conservation and enhancement of rare plants. He has experience in testifying as a botanical expert in court and at administrative hearings.
Since 1990, Ted has been an instructor in the Rutgers University Short Course, teaching wetland plant species identification to professional consultants. After chairing the Forestry Advisory Committee of the Pinelands Commission for ten years, Ted served as a Pinelands Commissioner from 1999 to 2002. He has been with HA since May 1994.
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Working out of the New Jersey office, David W. Schneider conducts surveys and oversees various tasks dealing with the study of endangered and threatened reptiles and amphibians in the northeast and southeastern United States. David has 30 years experience with New Jersey Pine Barrens species and is an expert in the ecology of this region. David is also recognized as a qualified bog turtle surveyor by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Jersey. David has been employed by Herpetological Associates, Inc. since 2000, and has earned an Associate of Science degree in Biology from Burlington County College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Richard Stockton College.
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Robert Jr assists with the study and conservation of threatened and endangered reptile and amphibian species in New York and New Jersey. This includes environmental monitoring and habitat evaluations, herpetological surveys and monitoring reptile and amphibian populations. He conducts presence or absence surveys for State and Federal Threatened and Endangered reptiles and amphibians, including Bog and Wood Turtle surveys, Timber Rattlesnake, Corn and Pine Snake surveys. He also assists with assessments of development projects and mitigation plans. This work has included erecting drift fences and building and installing snake traps.
In HA’s office, he maintains telecommunication and computer equipment and manages voice and data cable systems within HA's network.