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 artificial 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.

Based in our New Jersey office in Pemberton, Dave manages projects from start to finish, including writing cost estimates and proposals, report writing, and invoicing. In addition, he conducts all aspects of fieldwork related to surveys for threatened and endangered species. With over 50 years of experience studying species in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Dave is an expert in the region’s ecology.

He is also an NJDEP-recognized Primary Venomous Snake Monitor and a qualified Wood Turtle Monitor. Dave has been with Herpetological Associates, Inc. since 2000. He holds an Associate of Science degree in Biology from Burlington County College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Richard Stockton College.

David has been with Herpetological Associates since 2006 and now serves as Assistant Regional Manager. Based out of the New Jersey office, David has been the lead field biologist on several intensive radio-telemetry studies of threatened and endangered snake species in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey.

This research involved studying the behavior and home-range sizes of the state-threatened northern pine snake and the state-endangered corn snake. David is also recognized as a qualified venomous snake biologist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. He has served as a timber rattlesnake and northern copperhead monitor/biologist on numerous infrastructure projects throughout the Northeast, including natural gas pipelines, electrical rights-of-way, environmental remediation sites, and other infrastructure developments.

He also assists in presence/absence surveys and studies of other state-listed species, including the eastern tiger salamander, Pine Barrens treefrog, southern gray treefrog, wood turtle, barred owl, and red-headed woodpecker, as well as the federally listed bog turtle. David Burkett studied Wildlife Science and Recreation and Park Management at Pennsylvania State University.

James began his association with HA as an intern in 1977 while still in high school. He contributed to research and mark-recapture studies of the northern pine snake, red corn snake, and timber rattlesnake in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, as well as studies of the wood turtle and bog turtle in northern New Jersey. Pete is now retired after a 38-year career as a high school teacher of Biology, Chemistry, and Science Research.

He continues his involvement with HA, participating in field surveys and radio-tracking of threatened and endangered species. Pete holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in Biology from Georgian Court University, where his thesis focused on the hibernacula, spring emergence, and dispersal of the northern pine snake and northern black racer in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

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.

Zach has been with Herpetological Associates since 2021 and is based out of the Pine Barrens office in New Jersey.
He has contributed to several research projects involving threatened and endangered species, including surveys for timber rattlesnakes, corn snakes, northern pine snakes, red-headed woodpeckers, and barred owls. Zach participated in a four-year telemetry project radio-tracking eastern kingsnakes, as well as additional radio-tracking efforts involving northern pine snakes and corn snakes in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey.

He is a recognized venomous snake biologist in New Jersey and has worked on numerous projects throughout the state as a monitor/biologist for timber rattlesnakes and northern copperheads. Zachary holds a degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from the University of Rhode Island.

Aidan began working with Herpetological Associates in 2023 after graduating from Stockton University, where he studied Environmental Science with a focus on wildlife and forestry.
As a lifelong resident of the Pine Barrens, he has had a deep passion for the region’s flora and fauna since childhood, with a particular interest in herpetofauna. Aidan participates in surveys for threatened and endangered species, which often involve the installation and monitoring of drift fence trapping arrays, field searches, call-and-response surveys, and habitat analysis. He has also worked on habitat management projects, conducted wildlife monitoring on infrastructure sites, and is involved in an ongoing research project in collaboration with the NJDEP focused on the state-endangered tiger salamander. When he’s not in the field, Aidan utilizes his knowledge of ArcGIS to create maps and analyze data.

Carl has over a decade of herpetological experience throughout New Jersey and the eastern United States.
At Stockton University, he spent four years conducting in-laboratory research focused on reptile physiology and ecology. Carl has conducted biodiversity studies on herpetofauna within active cranberry farms in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, working with both threatened and endangered species.

He has also spent the past ten years surveying and tracking introduced Italian Wall Lizards across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Carl began working with Herpetological Associates, Inc. in 2024. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Stockton University.

Victoria began working in reptile husbandry with Ocean County Parks in 2014.
In 2016, she joined the New Jersey Conservation Foundation as a Land Steward, where she led a research project locating populations of Northern Pine Snakes in the Forked River Mountain area.

Victoria started working with Herpetological Associates in 2017 after graduating from Stockton University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Conservation. She is proficient in radio telemetry, tracking threatened and endangered snake and turtle species in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

She participates in surveys for threatened and endangered species that include habitat evaluations, field searches, drift fence installation, trap monitoring, frog and owl call-and-response surveys, and habitat management. Victoria is also involved in several ongoing research projects in collaboration with HA and the NJDEP, including the translocation of the endangered Eastern Tiger Salamander. In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking, traveling, exploring Jersey Shore beaches, and hiking in the Pine Barrens with her dog, Hermann.

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.

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.

Bobby assists with the study and conservation of threatened and endangered reptile and amphibian species in New York and New Jersey.
His work includes environmental monitoring, habitat evaluations, herpetological surveys, and the monitoring of reptile and amphibian populations.

He conducts presence/absence surveys for both state and federally listed threatened and endangered species, including bog and wood turtle surveys, as well as surveys for timber rattlesnakes, corn snakes, and pine snakes. He also assists in evaluating development projects and drafting mitigation plans.

His fieldwork has included erecting drift fences and building and installing snake traps. In HA’s office, Bobby maintains telecommunications and computer equipment, manages voice and data cable systems within the HA network, and is also responsible for maintaining the organization’s website.